


I'm Traveling Jhoto with an Ex-Grunt?

by Fake_Gameboy



Category: Pocket Monsters | Pokemon (Main Video Game Series), Pocket Monsters | Pokemon - All Media Types, Pocket Monsters: Gold & Silver & Crystal | Pokemon Gold Silver Crystal Versions
Genre: Action, Action/Adventure, Adventure, Adventure & Romance, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, Eventual Romance, F/M, Fluff, Hurt/Comfort, Mild Hurt/Comfort, Pokemon, Pokemon Battles, Pokemon Journey, Pokemon Trainers, Pokemon Training, Romance, Slow Build, Slow Burn, Slow Romance
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-04-14
Updated: 2020-06-12
Packaged: 2021-03-01 20:47:22
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 21
Words: 26,221
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23653327
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Fake_Gameboy/pseuds/Fake_Gameboy
Summary: After ousting a band of criminals at Slowpoke Well, Darby finds himself worried about grunt who was left behind by her fleeing comrades. In a strange twist of fate, she finds herself accompanying Darby on his Pokemon journey.
Kudos: 4





	1. Slowpoke Well

“Hey newbie! Come’re! I wanna show you something.” Abby timidly stepped away from her post on lookout and approached the man in charge of the operation. A group of thugs dressed in black were circled around a Slowpoke. Cyan colored N's on their chest stood out against their dark attire.

“In case you ever gotta do this yourself one day, here’s how we cut a slowpoke’s tail.” The Team Neos grunt motioned for his subordinate to hold the slowpoke in place while he picked up his machete from the well’s floor. “Slooow?” The pokemon cried out, not fully aware of what was about to happen. In one quick motion, the grunt brought his machete down on the base of the slowpoke’s tail and cut it clean off. “5….4….3....2…” the rocket slowly counted down. “SLOOOOOOOW” Slowpoke squealed in agony, hobbling off into the waters of Slowpoke Well as fast as a slowpoke could. Abby couldn’t hold back her shock and disgust, quickly burying her head behind a large rock and vomiting.

“Aw c’mon rook! It wasn’t that bad was it?” The grunts began to laugh at Abby’s discomfort. “That was...awful.” Awful was an understatement, but it was all she could manage to choke out before holding back another heave. “Fun fact, slowpoke don’t feel pain until 5 seconds after they get hit.” The grunt picked up a nearby cloth and began wiping his blade down.

“Don’t worry kid.” The grunt placed a hand on her shoulder. It’s all part of the business, you’ll get used to it eventually. Get back to your post, that’s all I wanted to show ya.” Abby dragged her feet back to her position. The thought of “what am I doing here?” constantly ran through her mind. She could hear distant cries of slowpoke in delayed pain. This was the farthest thing from what she thought the life of a criminal would be. She tried to tell herself it would be fun, adventurous, glamorous even. As she stood in the depths of the well, Abby couldn't lie to herself any longer..

A few moments later, Abby heard a loud thud coming from the well’s entrance. “H-hey! Are you okay over there?” Loud groans from two men echoed into the cavern. “Yeah I’m alright, this old geezer pushed me down the well! I think he’s in worse shape than I am though…” Abby moved to get a better view, and saw an old man clutching his back in pain. “Leave ‘em there, he ain’t gonna be a bother to us. Stupid old man gets what he deserves.” Abby felt bad, if the fear of the other grunts turning on her wasn’t a concern, she’d move to help the man in a heartbeat.

“Look alive everyone! We got another hero on our hands.” A young boy wearing a beanie, varsity jacket, and jeans had descended into the well. He checked on the old man before stepping forward to face the band of thugs. His Croconaw made quick work of the first grunt's team, downing his Rattata and Ekans in two quick swipes of his claws. “Crap, don’t take this one lightly boys! He’s tough.” The young trainer sidestepped the grunt, making his way deeper into the well.

“Stop right there! I’m w-warning you!” Abby pulled out a pokeball and readied herself for battle. The trainer cocked his head to the side, confused by the female grunt. “Hey uh, aren’t you a little young to be doing this? You look about my age.” Abby’s eyes widened. “N-no! I’m as tough as any grunt here!” Abby tossed her pokeball, a scrappy looking Rattata emerged. “Listen, I’d rather not fight you, I can’t really explain it but you don’t give off a criminal vibe.” Abby balled her hands into fists. “Oh so you don’t think I got what it takes huh? Rattata quick attack!” Rattata leapt forward, barreling head first into Croconaw’s stomach. The water pokemon slid back a bit, placing it’s claw on its belly. “I tried to reason with you, Croconaw bite!” Croconaw dashed towards Rattata, scooping it into its mouth and clamped down. The small rat cried out as Croconaw flung her from his jaws. She slid on the ground back to Abby’s feet. Rattata tried to get up but quickly passed out on the floor.

“Rattata…” Abby fell to her knees and held her pokemon in her arms. The trainer walked past Abby, but turned back to face her. “Hey so, for what it’s worth, I think you’re different from the rest of these guys. You care about pokemon, I can tell. Sorry about your Rattata, take him to a pokemon center okay?” Abby rubbed her eyes in an attempt to hide her tears. “Yeah, I’ll do that.”

The trainer and his Croconaw made quick work of the other grunts. The grunt in charge threw down a smoke ball, and dashed past the young man. “C’mon kid, this operation is a wash, we’re outta here!” The grunt ran past Abby, prompting her to return Rattata to her ball and make a run for the exit. The grunts and Abby climbed up the well. As she exited, Abby tripped and twisted her foot. She tumbled out of the well clutching her ankle. “Guys I think I sprained my ankle, can one of you carry me?” The lead grunt turned towards her while running backwards. “Sorry kid, but them’s the breaks! If that kid and the old man get out of the well, it might be curtains for us. I’m sure you’ll manage though!” Despair set in, she instantly realized they didn’t care about her at all. “Please come back! I don’t wanna get arrested!” But the grunts were already out of earshot and halfway to Union Cave.

“Are you sure you’re okay to climb the ladder Kurt?” Abby heard the trainer’s voice coming up the well. “Oh god, I’m screwed!” Abby’s mind raced for a solution, the only thing she could think of was to crawl behind the well and hope they didn’t see her. Kurt and the trainer emerged from the well. “You did good kid, real good! Believe or not, this is the second time I've taken a fall down the well like this.” Kurt gave him a hearty slap on the back. “Really? Well, let’s get you back home. You can tell me about it on the way back.” The boy took one last look back at the well, and saw a tuft of red hair poking out from the other side. The trainer smirked and made a mental note to come back once he got Kurt home. "You know, these low lives are nothing but copy cat crooks. Team Rocket did the same thing years ago, and I ended up in this exact situation. Felt some heavy deja vu when I saw you, kid"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for reading! If you've made it this far, please feel free to leave a comment, I'd like to know how I'm doing.


	2. Unlikely Allies

Darby returned to the well and peaked behind. The Team Neos girl was missing, but she didn’t go into town which means she must be headed to Union Cave. It didn’t take long for him to come across the limping grunt. “Hey! Are you alright?” Abby was startled so badly she nearly toppled over. “Does it look like I’m okay!?” Abby tried to increase her speed to no avail. He calmly made his way to her side. “My name’s Darby, what’s yours?”

“What’s my name matter to you? You’re here to turn me in right?” Abby’s voice cracked a bit. Darby took off his beanie and ran his hand through his hair. “I’m not looking to turn you in, how about we sit down and talk this out, it can’t be good to put weight on that ankle.” Abby slowly turned to face Darby. “A-alright, but if this is a set up, I’m not going down without a fight.” She carefully sat down on the grassy path, Darby took a seat across from her and dug into his bag. He threw a pokeball in the air and a Togepi landed in his lap. Togepi smiled at Abby “Togepiiii~,” and with that, Abby’s facade melted. “Oh my god, he’s so cute!!” Darby laughed. “Isn’t he? You wouldn’t be able to tell from his cute looks, but he’s actually a tough little guy.” Togepi puffed out his chest “Togepi!”

“Do you want to hold him? My pokedex said Togepis are symbols of good luck, and they’ll bring you joy if you treat them kindly.” Realizing she was being lulled into letting her guard down, she scoffed at the boy. “Hold on, don’t you know what I am? I’m a member of Team Neos! Who’s to say I wouldn’t steal your Togepi?” Darby laughed again, this time at Abby’s bravado. “Well three things: One, you’re not going anywhere on that ankle, two, I've never heard of Team Neos, and three, remember what I said to you in the well?”

Abby looked away from Darby. “Maybe you got the wrong impression, what if I'm as bad as the other grunts?” Darby extended Togepi to her. “Just hold him, will ya? I’m willing to bet on you being a decent person.” Abby gave in and took Togepi into her arms. “Togepii~” She could almost feel the tension disappear from her body as she held the spike ball pokemon. “Maybe there is something to that joy thing you said.”

“So, you never told me your name.” She looked up at the young trainer. “Oh, my name’s Abigail, but just call me Abby okay?” Darby smiled at her. “Nice to meet you Abby. Mind if I ask you some questions? I’m sure you got a crazy story to tell.” Abby sighed. At this point whatever happens happens. Might as well tell him everything. “Go for it, I got nothing to lose.” Darby placed his hand on his chin. “Now, where to start…”

“I guess we’ll start with the here and now, what was your plan after you got to Union Cave?” A sheepish feeling came over her as Abby didn’t really have one. “Well, I guess I’d try to cross through Union Cave and link up with my team?” Darby threw her an incredulous look. “Right, you were going to make it all the way through the cave with no pokemon? Your Rattata is still fainted isn’t it?” Togepi looked up at Abby sensing how embarrassed she felt. Well, yeah…” “So tell me, how were you gonna make it through in one piece? I'm guessing you don’t have a revive on you.”

“Okay okay, I didn’t have a plan, what other questions do you have, detective?” Darby tried to suppress his smug feeling before asking his next question. “Why would you go back to your Team after they left you to take the fall?” Abby fell silent, she didn’t have a witty retort or a way to weasel out of an answer. “I… I don’t know, okay! What else am I gonna do! I got nowhere else to go! Like yeah, I’ll just march right into Azalea Town with as if I wasn’t rolling with a bunch of creeps lopping off Slowpoke tails for money!” At this point, Abby was on the verge of tears.

Darby mentally cursed himself, he was way too direct with how he asked, never mind how condescending he must have sounded to her. “Okay, my bad on that one. You’re in a tough spot and me acting all high and mighty isn’t helping.” Togepi leaped off Abby’s lap and planted itself at Darby’s side. “Gee, ya think?” Darby could only smirk. “I deserve that one. How about I help you out? I’ll take you to Azalea’s pokemon center, better than lying around on the grass in my humble opinion.” She looked at him like he had 7 heads. “I don't think that's a good idea. How am I supposed to go into town without drawing attention to myself? Someone might have seen me with the rest of my crew. We all have these big dumb N's on our chests.”

Darby tossed his jacket to Abby. “I'll let you borrow my jacket for now. Put it on and you’ll look like an ordinary girl who isn't working for a no name criminal organization. Let’s get your Rattata healed up.” Abby put Darby’s jacket on. As she pulled her head through, she looked up to see Darby holding his hand out to help her up. “Just um, just put your arm around my shoulder and lean on me, alright? Try to put as little weight on your ankle as possible.” Darby recalled Togepi to his pokeball and lifted Abby to her feet.

She thought twisting her ankle and getting left behind on her first job as a Neos was embarrassing enough, but now she’s wearing a boy’s jacket and was unbearably close to him. If this was any other guy, she’d probably try to figure things out on her own, but Darby made a good first impression. He was trustworthy, genuine, and apparently a strong trainer as well. Sure, she might still resent him for being a know-it-all and knocking out her Rattata, but getting her pokemon to the nearest center was more important than her pride. The pair took a few clumsy steps forward before they got a rhythm for doing a 3 legged walk.

Despite trying to be the calm and collected one, Darby couldn’t shake the awkwardness of the situation either. He glanced at Abby for a moment, it was obvious she was flustered by the whole situation. On their way to the pokemon center, they caught stares from a number of Azalea Town residents. “This is the worst…” Abby muttered under her breath.

They entered the center and were greeted by a concerned Nurse Joy. “Hello, and welcome to the… Oh my, are you okay? What happened?” Abby removed Rattata’s pokeball from her belt. “My Rattata got beat up by a Geodude I tripped over, that’s how I twisted my ankle. Luckily a good samaritan was nearby and helped me out.” She not-so-gently elbowed Darby in his side, prompting him to make up his half of the story. “Er yeah, we were in Union Cave when it happened. Who knows what would have happened if I wasn’t around to take care of the Geodude and escort her out.”

Abby let out a sigh of relief. She was afraid he might mess up, but he complimented her cover story pretty well. “What a scary situation, I’m glad this kind young gentleman was in the right place at the right time.” Nurse Joy took Abby’s pokeball to the healing station. “You hear that Abby? I’m a kind young gentleman.” Abby groaned. “Here’s your pokemon miss, enjoy your day and stay safe out there!” Nurse Joy bowed her head slightly, and the two walked off to sit at a nearby table.

“You did pretty well coming up with your half of the alibi” Abby carefully rested her injured foot on the glass coffee table. Darby rolled his eyes. “I honestly took you for the boy scout type, but you’re pretty quick on your feet.” The trainer seemed to take some offense to that statement. “What do you mean by that?” Abby leaned back in her chair. “Only a real goody goody would take on a bunch of crooks by himself AND save one of it’s ex-members.”

“I’m gonna ignore that goody goody comment, so you’re an ex-member now?” Abby lowered her head. “Yeah, figured out real quick I’m just another body to them, they never really cared about me.” Darby sensed a tinge of sadness in her tone. “How about you tell me everything? Start from the beginning.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for reading! If it's not too much trouble, leave a comment on how you think Abby and Darby's characters are developing.


	3. Runaway

“I’m not telling you that right now.” Abby’s statement was met with a raise of an eyebrow. “Why not?” “Uh, cause we’re in the middle of a pokemon center? I’m not openly talking about Neos in earshot of everyone in here.” She could tell Darby was caught off guard. “Serves you right!” She thought, it was his turn to feel stupid.

“Oh, right. That makes sense. I don’t really have a place to go where we can talk privately though.” There was a short pause before Gold spoke up again. “Actually, I have a place in mind.” He collected his things and moved to give Abby a hand. “Ugh, I just put my feet up too…”

The two teens left the center. “Mind telling me where we’re going?” Darby looked up before giving an answer. “Nah, wouldn’t wanna spoil the surprise.” “You’re infuriating.” Abby wrestled with mixed thoughts for the rest of the walk. On one hand, she thought Darby was a good guy and was happy she had at least one person in her corner. On the other, she hated relying on others and he thinks he’s so smart on top of it all. They approached the outskirts of Azalea and a lone house came into view. Behind it was a large apricorn orchard. Trees were divided into neat columns and were organized by apricorn color. The walk up was a bit difficult since the house and orchid sat atop a plateau, but they managed. Darby knocked on the door, a loud “I got it, I got it” could be heard from within.

“Oh, it’s you. Didn’t I tell you it takes me a day to make your ball?” Kurt looked over Abby and Darby, suspecting he wasn’t here for his Lure Ball. “Actually, I have another favor to ask. I found this girl back on Route 33, she twisted her ankle and sprained it pretty badly. I normally don’t ask for things like this, but you wouldn’t happen to have a spare room she can rest in for a day would you?” Kurt let out a sigh. “You might be more trouble than you’re worth kid, but Azalea owes you a debt for chasing out those thugs. There’s a room upstairs, you two are welcome to it. Just uh, don’t get any funny ideas, I have a kid here okay?” Abby was mortified that this old man would even suggest that. “I..!” “Am so grateful you’re letting us use the spare room! That’s what you’re trying to say right Abby?” Her face was beet red at this point. “Y-yeah, thanks…” Darby helped her up the stairs and closed the guest room door. “The nerve of!” Abby’s tirade was cut short by a shhhh from Darby. “We’re in someone’s house loudmouth, he’ll hear you.” Abby laid down in the bed, if she wasn’t irate over Kurt’s comment she might have dosed off then and there. Outside the bedroom window the sun was setting over the orchard. “Whatever, I’m over it.”

There was a long silence. Darby felt the tension in the room, and decided to break it with a question. “About our conversation back at the center, you were going to tell me about how you joined Team Neos?” Abby moved to pull a blanket over her. “So, I’m from Ecruteak City. I’m actually the youngest of this family, you ever heard of the Kimono Girls?” Darby snapped his fingers. “Yeah! They’re those famous dancers who use Eevee evolutions right? Why’d you leave?”

Abby pinched the bridge of her nose. “This is gonna sound so petty and stupid, but I ran away cause I couldn’t deal with my sisters anymore. They were always putting expectations on me! Abby sit up straight, Abby don’t dirty your Kimono, Abby you’re gonna evolve your Eevee into a Vaporeon right? No, you’ll evolve it into an Espeon! I never got to be my own person or make my own decisions. I never had a choice to go on an adventure, my life as a Kimono Girl was like, predetermined or something.”

Things started to make sense to Darby. Abby’s personality is the exact opposite of someone he’d expect to be a Kimono Girl. A supportive family was a blessing he never really thought about. Darby started his journey on a whim and all his mom had to say about it was “Good luck! I’ll save money for you at home!” “I’m sorry Abby, it sounds like your family didn’t let you be who you wanted to be.”

“They didn’t.” Abby was slightly shocked at the bitterness in her tone. “But… They aren’t as bad as I’m making them sound. They loved me, and after this big mess I realized how good I had it.” Darby sat cross legged on the floor, totally absorbed into Abby’s tale. “So where did you go when you ran away?”

“Nowhere too crazy, just to Goldrenrod, the next city over. I’d never been there by myself, I went a few times when my sisters performed there or got featured on Mary’s radio show. It was big and loud, and kinda overwhelming. I got lost and it was dark, I didn’t have anywhere to go. I was about to call my sisters, but then I ran into her.”

“Hold on a sec” Gold reached into his bag and released Croconaw and Togepi from their pokeballs. “W-why do they need to be out!?” Togepi tried to climb up on the bed before Gold lifted him up and placed him on Abby’s stomach. “I’m on the edge of my seat here! Your story deserves an audience, so who is ‘her’?”

“Ms. Elliana, she’s the leader of Team Neos.” Abby was transported back to the night her life changed forever. It was a cold and rainy night in Goldenrod City. She was messing with payphone on a street corner, as it ate the last of her pocket change. A sharply dressed woman walked over to her, a cyan N emblem on the breast of her coat. “Are you lost?” Abby looked up at the lady towering over her. “Uh. yeah. I’m f-fine though, I’ll figure things out.” She placed a hand on Abby’s shoulder. “How about you take a walk with me? You look hungry, let me get you something to eat.” A small voice in the back of Abby’s mind warned her not to go, but she ignored it in favor of her growling stomach. Abby and Elliana walked a short distance before descending into Goldenrod’s underground district. Shady looking characters lined the walls but Elliana paid them no mind. “What would you like to eat, Abby?” “I could go for a burger right about now…” Elliana smiled as she came upon a door guarded by a man dressed in black. “Go up and grab us some burgers, I want to discuss something with my new friend here.” The grunt left without a word, and the two entered a safe room hidden in the underground. “Welcome to my humble abode!” Abby looked past her to see a well kept office. A large desk was in the middle of the room.

“How about you tell me about yourself?” Abby spun her tale of running away, and everything that led up to it. “I see, I don’t think your sisters appreciated you.” The grunt returned with a pair of burgers from a local restaurant. “Bring it in, Abby is starving.” Abby sunk her teeth into the burger as soon as she could, she hadn’t eaten all day. “I’ll cut to the chase Abby, I'm looking to start a new organization. To do that, I need recruits. We'd be something like Team Rocket, only more successful.” Gears started to shift in Abby’s mind, when she was younger, she remembered a news report about a crime organization taking over the Radio Tower years ago. “Team Rocket? Y-you’re a criminal then?” Elliana’s expression soured for a moment. “I wouldn’t use the word criminal, we’re just people who live outside the norm. Team Rocket was an organization that took what they wanted, when they wanted it. Don’t you want to be free? Have the power to do anything you want to?” Abby suddenly felt very small sitting before the up and coming crime boss. “Look Abby, I’m looking to form a Team, and to do that, I need recruits. Recruits like you. I can tell you’re a smart girl, you’ll be appreciated here like you never could have been by your snotty older sisters. What do you say? Are you in?” Abby looked back at the door, the grunt leaning against it giving off a menacing aura. She wasn’t in a position to refuse.

“I’ll… I’ll join.” Ariana clapped her hands together. “Excellent! I see a lot of potential in you, I know you can be a top member in no time. Welcome to Team Neos.” Abby swallowed another bite of her burger. “Really?” “Yes, of course! I’ll prepare a uniform for you and get you a pokemon. There’s an operation I want you to join, you’ll be going to Azalea Town…”


	4. A Change of Clothes

Abby turned on her side away from Darby, she was so disgusted with herself she didn’t want to face him. “Abby, that was horrifying, I’m so sorry you got mixed up in that.” There was a long pause, but this time Abby was the one to break it. “So much for an exciting life as a daring criminal, turns out they just abuse pokemon for profit. I knew they were bad news though, that was just something I told myself to help me forget I basically got forced into it.”

“Well, that proves my theory.” Abby sat up, causing Togepi to roll off her. “Your theory?” “Yeah, my theory about how you’re not a bad person, you just got taken advantage of. I knew something was up when I saw how bad you felt about Rattata.” Abby softened at his words. “Don’t get me wrong though, you got a tough exterior. Not that that’s a bad thing!” Even though he was trying to be mindful of Abby, he still had a hard time keeping his big mouth shut. “Don’t worry, I know what you mean.”

Before either of them knew it, the sun had set. “Guess it’s getting kind of late, I’m gonna head to bed. You sure you’re okay sleeping on the floor?” Abby felt a little bad, Darby really did go out of his way for a complete stranger. Not to mention she was a member of a large crime syndicate until today. “Yeah I think I’ll live, you need room to rest your ankle anyway. I got a plan for tomorrow, I’ll tell you in the morning.” “You really like your surprises, don’t you? Goodnight.” The ex-criminal laid back and closed her eyes. “Night Abby.”

A ray of sun falling on her face woke Abby up earlier than she wanted. She looked over to see Darby still asleep, using his backpack as a makeshift pillow. Feeling slightly mischievous, Abby tossed her pillow at Gold, landing a direct hit on his face. “Ah!” Darby sprang up from his slumber. “What was that for?” “Nothing, just felt like it.” Gold threw the pillow back on to the bed. “You have a weird way of showing gratitude, instead of a comfy bed you could be in a cell right now.” Abby turned away from the boy. “I’m not ungrateful.” She sighed and turned back. “I’m only gonna say this once: Thank you for everything. You bailed me out of a really bad situation, and you did more than I ever could’ve asked for. So thanks, again.”

Darby smiled, the one thank you was all he needed to hear. “So you want to hear my grand plan for today?” Abby sat up. “What incredible scheme does the great Darby have today?” “Well first things first, we’re going to have to get you out of those clothes.” Abby’s expression fell flat as she clenched bedsheets into her fists. “I...I’ll gut you like a Magikarp if this was all an elaborate plot to…” The trainer’s eyes widened as he realized his terrible phrasing. “Nonononono!” Darby waved his arms. “SHOPPING! I meant shopping. We’re gonna get you some clothes so you don’t have to wear my hoodie when you’re out in public.”

Abby released her Kingler-like grip on the bed sheets. “Oh, okay. You could have just said that, dummy.” Darby exhaled, not even Croconaw could stand up to the murderous intent that the girl had just shown him. He tossed his hoodie to her. “Let’s get ready to go, I think I saw some shops around the Azalea Gym.

On their way out the pair thanked Kurt as he handed Darby his freshly finished Lure Ball. Abby was still walking with a slight limp, but her injury wasn’t as bad as she initially made it out to be. They soon found themselves outside a clothing store, but all Gold could do was stare at the Azalea Gym in the distance. A girl’s hand waved in front of his face. “Hellooooo, earth to Darby? We’re going shopping right?” Darby snapped out of his daze. “Uh yeah, let’s go.” Abby scanned the store for something that fit her tastes. “Why were you staring at the gym before?” Almost instinctively, gold reached into his bag and produced a small case. “I’m taking the gym challenge of course! I already defeated Falkner of Violet City Gym and earned the Zephyrbadge, so my eyes are on Bugsy, the bug pokemon specialist!” This was the most enthusiastic Abby had seen the boy. “I’ll give you credit, that’s pretty impressive. No wonder you mopped the floor with those chumps. We’ll definitely have to scope the gym out after this.”

Darby and Abby wandered deeper into the shop. “What about this picnicker outfit? I think it might look good on you.” Abby didn’t look too interested. “It might, but it’s not really my style.” Abby settled on a red jacket, black shorts, a plain white T-shirt with a black collar, and a pair of red running shoes to match her jacket. “That’s a pretty cool look, I think you can rock it.” “Thanks, I’m gonna head to the fitting room to try it on.” After a short wait, Abby emerged from the fitting room. Gold was slightly stunned. Instead of tying her hair into the two low ponytails she usually does, she let her hair down. She still parted her bangs in the middle, but she really made the cool trainer look work for her. Abby looked happier too, like she was finally free from Team Rocket.

“Sorry I took so long, I was fussing with my hair in the mirror. So, um, what do you think?” Abby surprised herself “Why am I even asking?” she thought. “You look great! Crazy how a change of clothes can totally reinvent a person.” She looked down at her new shoes. “Thanks, let me change back and we can check out.” After paying, Abby asked if she could run back to change and wear her new outfit out. The salesperson happily obliged. As the two walked out together, Abby felt a vibration coming from the pocket of Darby’s jacket. “Oh, that’s my pokegear, mind tossing it to me?” Abby fished his pokegear from his pocket and gave it to him.

“Hello my darling son!” The hair’s on the back of Darby’s neck stood up “M-mom!? Why’re you calling? Did you buy something with my money again?” His mother sat down at the kitchen table. “Well, as you know, I track your purchases and noticed someone just bought a lot of women’s clothing at a store in Azalea, someone might have your card info.” Darby looked at Abby, the source of this awkward phone call. “N-no mom, I bought these clothes.” Abby covered her mouth, using all her self-restraint not to burst out laughing. “Well my son, just know that I support you in whatever way you choose to express yourself.” Darby’s mom was a loud talker, Abby heard everything. She leaned against the store entrance, nearly doubling over in laughter. “Don’t get the wrong idea mom! I bought those clothes for a friend.” His mother stood up from her chair. “A friend!? Darby, this wouldn’t happen to be a girlfriend would it?” Abby’s laughter came to a halt, it was replaced by a burning sensation in her ears and cheeks. “No, ugh, she’s not my girlfriend mom. Look, it’s actually a really long story, can I tell you about it later?” Darby’s mom sat back down. “Sure hun, call me later okay? You know I love hearing about all your little adventures.” Darby sighed. “Thanks mom, nothing’s wrong with the card. I’ll talk to you later, okay?” She wasn’t going to let him hang up that easily. “Aren’t you forgetting to say one last thing?”

“I love you, mom. Bye.” His mother leaned back in her seat. “I love you too Goldie, talk to you soon!” And with that, Darby hung up. “She seems nice.” Darby rolled his eyes into the back of his head. “Yeah, even though she’s kinda embarrassing and spends my battle money on random stuff, she’s still the best mom I can ask for.” Abby giggled. “Mama’s boy.” “Shut up.” Darby gave her a playful shove, but was gentle enough not to endanger her bad ankle. “For real though, thanks for buying me this outfit. You didn’t have to and you did it with your own money.” Darby smiled. “That’s two thank you’s I’ve gotten out of you so far.” She crossed her arms and pouted. “Yeah yeah, don’t expect it too often. Not that I’m trying to undersell what you’ve done for me… I… Really appreciate it.” Darby caught a glimpse of the vulnerability she showed last night in the guest room. “Hey, don’t mention it. Is there anything else you wanna do today? This shopping trip was all I had planned.” Abby paused to think. “Yeah, actually. Since everything has been about me these past few days, let’s do something for you. How about we check out the gym?” “Sounds like a plan.”


	5. Showdown at Azalea Gym!

Darby exhaled and stepped forward to enter the Azalea Gym, Abby behind him. The inside of the gym looked like a clearing in a forest. Mossy stone tiles on the grassy gym floor were arranged into the shape of a large pokeball. Two marble columns with pokeballs atop them each had a plaque that read “Azalea Gym,” a staple of league sanctioned pokemon gyms. A man with glasses standing next to the columns greeted Darby and Abby. “Yo, champs in the making! You two here to challenge the leader?” Darby shook his head. “Just me, my friend here is for moral support.” The gym attendant gestured to the stands adjacent to the battleground. “Ah I see, you’ll need to take a seat in the stands young lady, I’ll go let Bugsy know a challenger has arrived..” Abby made her way to the stands while Darby approached the ring. “He seems… different, now.” The girl thought aloud. The air about Darby had changed. Gone was the kindhearted, sarcastic, somewhat awkward boy she had spent the past two days with. In his place stood a fierce looking trainer, more like the side she saw of him when he took on Team Rocket.

“Bugsy! A trainer is here to challenge you!” A young man leaped down from the large tree behind the ring. “Hey there! How about you introduce yourself?” Abby didn’t expect Bugsy’s appearance. He looked young, and had a carefree attitude about him. “My name’s Darby, I’m a trainer from New Bark Town and I’m aiming to be a Jhoto League Champion!” Bugsy casually twirled his bug net in his hand like a baton. “That’s quite a lofty goal, I wish you luck! I’m Bugsy, the leader of Azalea Town Gym! In addition to being a leader, I’m also a leading pokemon researcher specializing in bug types.” Bugsy smiled at Darby and motioned for the gym attendant. He took Bugsy’s net and returned to his place on the sideline. “This battle will be a 3 on 3 match between the challenger Darby from New Bark Town and the leader Bugsy, the walking encyclopedia of bug pokemon!” Abby laughed. “I wonder if he makes him say that.” She thought. Suddenly, Rattata’s pokeball burst open. “Ta!” Rattata exclaimed. “Oh you want to watch girl? Sure! We got the best seats in the house.” “Rattata!”

“I sure hope they don’t figure out I only have two pokemon.” A bead of sweat dripped down the side of Darby’s face. Challenger! If you win, you will receive the coveted Hivebadge! Are you ready to begin?” “I am.” The gym attendant raised his flag. “Let the battle begin!”

As the attendant brought down the flag, Darby and Bugsy brought out their pokemon. “Go, Togepi!” “Go, Metapod!” Gold was thrown off, to say the least. “A metapod?” Bugsy smirked. I can say the same thing about your Togepi, two very unassuming pokemon we have huh? I wouldn’t take Metapod lightly, though.” “Pod!” “I can say the same for Togepi, use swift!” A flurry of stars materialized around Togepi. With a motion of it’s tiny hands, the stars flung forward hurtling towards the motionless Metapod. “Metapod harden and brace for impact” “Pod!” Metapod stood as its stalwart defense allowed it to weather Togepi’s barrage. “Pretty tough, I expected nothing less from a gym trainer’s pokemon!” Darby quipped. “Pretty tough is an understatement, Metapod tackle Togepi!” Darby raised an eyebrow as he noticed Metapod rocking back and forth. Suddenly, Metapod used its momentum to lunge forward and slam into Togepi. “Togepi!” The egg shaped pokemon was knocked off its feet as Metapod bounded off it’s stomach and rolled into an upright position. “A cocoon pokemon that can actually attack!?” Darby was floored. “Yup, don’t underestimate bug types!” Togepi rose to its feet. “We should try to end this fast, use swift again, Togepi, really put your heart into it!” “Togepiiii!” A constellation filled the arena, Metapod was completely surrounded. “Metapod get ready to harden!” “Pod!” Abby and Rattata couldn’t believe their eyes. “I didn’t know you had it in you little guy! Go Gold! Go Togepi!” “Rattata!” Gold raised his eyes to meet his one adoring fan. “You’ll want to be on your feet for this one Abby, release it now Togepi!”

Shooting stars rained down on Metapod. One star after another, Caterpie’s evolved form slowly lost its balance with each successive hit. Once the stardust had settled, Metapod laid on its side, fainted. “Metapod is unable to continue! The first fall goes to the challenger, Darby!” The normally stand off-ish Abby couldn’t hide her excitement. “You got this Darby! Just 2 more to go!” Darby took a second to bask in this moment. He’s pulled ahead against another gym leader, and this time he has an audience. For a brief moment, Darby stood inside a densely packed stadium at the Indigo Plateau. He shook the image from his mind and set his sights to the task at hand. “You put up a good fight, Metapod.” Bugsy returned the fallen pokemon to its ball. “Come on out, Kakuna!” Darby’s initial thought of “another cocoon pokemon?” was quickly discarded as he remembered Metapod’s tenacity. “Togepi, get ready for another swift!” “Kakuna, counter with Poison Sting!” A seemingly endless spray of toxic needles were fired from Kakuna’s mouth. Stars collided with the needles, each pokemon nullifying the other’s attacks. In the confusion of the clash, a lone needle landed a direct hit on Togepi. “Pi!” Togepi’s swift attack came to a halt, as its breathing became heavy and labored. “Oh no, did you get poisoned buddy?” “Pi…” Bugsy saw his opening. “Get ready for round two, Kakuna poison sting!” Time seemed to slow down for Darby. “Ugh, Togepi can’t go blow for blow with Kakuna while poisoned, we’re gonna need a miracle here…” In an act of desperation, Darby gave Togepi one final instruction. “Togepi use metronome!” “PI!” Togepi’s arms glowed as they waved from side to side, before suddenly stopping. “To...ge..PIIIIIIII!” A giant stream of fire spewed forth from Togepi’s mouth, incinerating any poison needles in its path. “Flamethrower!? Of all the lucky things I’ve seen…” Bugsy watched as Kakuna was engulfed by the flames, its charred body falling backwards on the floor.

“Kakuna is unable to battle, the round goes to the challenger!” Darby didn’t have time to celebrate, Togepi collapsed, succumbing to Kakuna’s venom. “What’s this!? Togepi is also unable to battle!” Darby returned Togepi. “You went above and beyond today little buddy, not bad at all for your first gym battle.” Bugsy stomped his foot. “Gotta give you credit Darby, you’re giving me a run for my money! But it’s time I bring out my ace, go Scyther!” “Scytherrrr!” The mantis pokemon raised its twin blades into the air. “Fun fact about Scyther, if it’s hiding in grass, it’s protective color helps it blend in. It’s been fun Darby, but the match ends here.” 

Darby reached into his bag. We’ll have to see about that, go, Croconaw!” “Croconaw!” The water pokemon snapped its jaws at Scyther. Rattata retreated to Abby’s shoulder, sensing the same energy Croconaw gave off at the well. “Scyther, retreat into the tall grass at the sides of the arena!” Scyther complied, Gold and Croconaw scanned the grass, but couldn’t find Scyther. “I don’t like this…” Croconaw looked uneasy, preparing for a strike. “Scyther reveal yourself and use fury cutter!” Scyther bounded out of the tall grass at a breakneck speed, slashing Croconaw with its bladed arm. “Naaw!” Scyther retreated back into the grass. Croconaw seemed like it was only grazed, but looking at Bugsy, he knew something was up. “Be careful Croconaw, we gotta flush Scyther out of the grass somehow…” “Now!” At Bugsy’s call, Scyther remerged and landed another cut on Croconaw. “The last hit didn’t seem to phase Croconaw much, but this one had a little bit more power behind it…” Abby grew concerned, the momentum shifted to Bugsy. “I know Croconaw is tough but... this Scyther…” She turned her attention to Darby, who had a stern look on his face. Suddenly, his eyes widened. “That’s it!” He thought. “This hit and run style, it must be because fury cutter gets more powerful with each hit! Fury cutter favors a stealthy approach, since its initial hits aren’t very powerful. Taking Croconaw head on wouldn’t be a good idea, but if they battle like this…” Bugsy stomped his foot again. “Did you figure out the secret of fury cutter?” Scyther fluttered its wings, but that was enough of a tell for Darby to pick up on. “There! Water gun!” A high pressure stream of water shot out of Croconaw’s mouth towards Scyther’s location. Scyther dodged and charged towards Croconaw. “You know what to do Scyther! Fury cu-” Bite now!” Before Scyther could bring its attack down on Croconaw, he caught Scyther’s blade in its mouth. “Scyther!?” The Scyther yelped in confusion as the big jaw pokemon began to spin in place, Scyther’s arm still clutched in its mouth. After gaining enough momentum, Croconaw released its bite, flinging Scyther across the gym. “Don’t let it get away Croconaw! Follow up with scratch!” “Naw!” Croconaw ran forward. “Counter with fury cutter Scyther!” Each successive scratch was parried by Scyther. Scyther and Croconaw seemed to be evenly matched, but Darby had one last trick up his sleeve. “After Scyther counters, blast ‘em Croconaw!” Croconaw’s claw clashed with Scyther’s blade, but this time Scyther was hit with a point blank water gun. Scyther slid back “Get back in there Scyther!” Croconaw and Scyther continued to duel, but every so often Darby would have Scyther mix in another surprise water gun. Croconaw’s strength and bulk was too much for Scyther to bear, even with its blinding speed. “This should be it, water gun!” Scyther took another water gun, but this time it was knocked off its feet. “Scyther is unable to battle, challenger Darby of New Bark Town is the winner!”

“You guys did it!” As Darby checked on Croconaw’s injuries, Abby ran down crashing into Darby, pulling him into a hug. Realizing what she was doing and where she was, Abby quickly released Darby. “S-sorry about that, I got swept up in all the excitement. You guys fought a great match! Good job.” Before Darby could process what just happened, Bugsy stomped his foot in an effort to gain his attention. “Congratulations! You won! I’m surprised you caught on to our tactic, I can tell you have the makings of a great trainer. You’ll go far in the league. As proof of your win, I present you with the hivebadge! You can have this T.M. too, its fury cutter. If you ever catch a bug pokemon, I hope you consider using it.” Darby flashed the hivebadge to Croconaw. “We did it, partner!” Let’s get Togepi healed up, he needs to see this too.”

Darby thanked Bugsy for the match and left the gym, Abby in tow. “Wanna grab a victory bite at the pokemon center? My treat!” Abby was happy for him, but also a little guilty. “But you already spent so much money on me today…” Darby grabbed her by the shoulders. “This is an exception, what’s a victory without a meal to celebrate it? You can always pay me back later.” Abby smiled and gave in. “Fine, but I want to talk to you about something. I realized it when I saw you battle.” Darby was confused, but brushed it off as he was still riding high off his win. “Sure thing, we can talk about how awesome I am and whatever you have to say.” Abby jabbed him in the arm. “I can’t believe a dork like you has 2 badges.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> If you've made it this far, please let me know what you thought of the battle! I'm new to writing longer pokemon battle scenes, so I'd love some feedback.


	6. Victory Meal

Darby stuffed his face with food from the pokemon center’s food court. “Ugh, you eat like a Piloswine…” Darby looked up as he slurped the last of his noodles. “Sorry, long day! Shopping trip, earned a badge… A guy gets hungry!” Togepi, Croconaw, and Rattata sat tableside enjoying their meals as well. “Congrats on your win. I don’t just say things like this, but you were incredible out there.” Darby gave her a sheepish grin. “Oh uh, thanks. I can’t explain it, but a different side of me comes out when I battle.” “Yeah no kidding, gone was the awkward know-it-all I’ve gotten to know over the past few days, replaced with a sharped-eyed trainer I barely recognized.” Her over dramatic tone prompted him to steal a fry off her plate. “Hey!” “You have a really annoying way of complimenting someone. So what did you want to talk about?”

“Ah, right…” Abby took a moment to find the right words. “Well, when I saw you battle… I decided I wanted to be a trainer too.” Darby wiped his mouth. “Really? Why?” She reached down to her Rattata, letting her crawl up her arm and onto her shoulder. “Seeing you battle and handle yourself like that, it made me realize I want to be that strong too.” Darby laughed. “You really do have a flair for the dramatic huh?” He reached for another fry before Abby swatted his hand away. “I’m trying to be serious! If I become a strong trainer, maybe I can be my own person. I don’t wanna be told what to do or get taken advantage of anymore…”

The young trainer recognized it was time to stop joking around. “Okay, cool! You got Rattata, so that’s a start, how about I help you train him and catch some more pokemon? I’m looking to fill my team out myself, so…” A server came by to take away empty plates. “Thank you, Darby.” He held up 3 fingers in response. “That’s 3 ‘rare’ thank you’s I’ve gotten in 2 days, I must hold the world record or something.” Abby’s eyebrow twitched. “Sorry, sorry! It’s too easy sometimes!”

“Can I ask you a serious question though?” Abby dipped her fries in ketchup. “Go for it.” “I’m taking the gym challenge, so we’ll be stopping in a bunch of cities so I can challenge. You cool with that?” She waved her hand. “Duh, gym battles are fun to watch, of course I’m cool with that.” Darby looked over at the badge case peeking out of his bag. “Do you think you’ll take the gym challenge? You’re gonna be a trainer now.” She placed a hand on her chin. “Maybe, I need to think about it.”

Darby wagged his finger at her. “Onnnneee moooore thing! What are you gonna do when we get to Ecruteak? There’s a gym there so I have to go.” Abby threw her head back. She totally forgot her home city had a gym. “I guess I’ll go there with you. My sisters are probably worried sick. I should at least let them know I’m okay.” “Do you think we’ll part ways when we get there?” She flicked a fry at him. “I thought you said one more thing? Even if my sisters force me to stay in Ecruteak, why do you care?”

Abby watched as the boy squirmed in her seat. She’d usually enjoy when she catches him off guard, but this felt different. “Because uh… Even though I got my boys…” Darby reached over to pet Croconaw. “I thought it would be cool to have some more company around. Jhoto’s a big place, exploring it with a friend might be fun.” She didn’t know why, but her heart skipped a beat when she heard him say that. “Y-yeah… It would be. How about we go to Ecruteak together, and see what happens then?” Darby stood up and extended his hand. “Sounds like a plan, shake on it?” Abby grabbed his hand. “Till Ecruteak.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> If you've read this far, thank you so much. It means a lot to me that someone out there is reading and enjoying my story!


	7. A Rival Appears!

Abby stretched her arms. “So what now?” Gold took out his pokegear. We don’t have anything left to do in Azalea, so it’s on to Goldenrod next. Looks like we gotta cut through Ilex Forest, but you already knew that.” As they passed through the gate that separated Azalea Town from Ilex Forest, a trainer called out to them from behind. “Excuse me, may I borrow a moment of your time?" Darby and Abby looked behind them to see a young man about their age with messy blue hair. He was dressed in all black, shirt, pants, tie, shoes, everything. The only color on his clothing was a cyan N over the breast of his blazer. "I have something to discuss with the young miss here, is that alright?" Abby was frightened, but held her ground. "What do you want?" "Ms. Elliana heard that you deserted your team, I've been sent to bring you back with me. You've crossed Team Neos and there will be consequences for your actions." Abby was dumbfounded. "I deserted!? They deserted me! Anyway, I'm not going back with you, I'm quitting your stupid Team." The oddly polite boy chuckled. "Let me start over, in my haste I forgot to introduce myself. My name is Alexander, I'm Ms. Elliana's protoge. I shouldn't have asked you, I'll put it this way- come back with me now or I'll bring you back by force." 

Darby readied a pokeball, he'd heard enough. "Oh? Is your gallant hero going to fight your battles for you? I know who you are as well. You're the one who foiled our plan at the well. Darby, was it?" Abby noticed a change in Darby's expression. Nevertheless, she took out her pokeball. "Abby, I don't know about this, something's up with this guy." Ignoring Darby's advice, she sent out Rattata. "If I don't stand up to this guy, that means I'm a coward. I'm not gonna run away anymore!" Alexander smirked. "I'll admit, I admire your spirit. But you're fighting a losing battle." Alexander sent out his Machop. "This won't take long, karate chop that rat." At his trainer's command, Machop charged at Rattata, bringing its hand down on its body. The mouse pokemon quickly fell unconscious. "Rattata... Not again..." She returned the pokemon to its ball. Just as despair was creeping in, Darby stepped forward. "I'll be your opponent now."

"I won't take you lightly, but I won't be losing either, you'll both be coming with me." Darby disregarded Alexander's words and sent out Croconaw. "Alright Machop, show him your power." Machop began to approach Croconaw, but was blasted away by a water gun. "You'll have to get close to him to do that." Again and again, Machop was repelled by spouts of water. Slowly, Machop's strength began to waver. It was using much more of its energy to get close to Croconaw, and was never able to lay a finger on the water pokemon. After another burst fire of water gun, Machop finally went down. Alexander took note of the situation he found himself in, and came to the most logical conclusion. "It's unfortunate, but I wasn't prepared to battle you today, Darby. I didn't plan for you to be with her. Next time I'll be ready for the both of you, but for now, I'll have to say goodbye." Alexander released another pokemon, a sleepy looking Abra levitated before the two trainers. In an instant, both Abra and Alexander disappeared. "What did he do?" Darby kicked up some leaves on the forest floor. "His Abra used teleport to get him out of dodge."

Abby took a seat on the ground, taking in the gravity of the situation. "So that's it, huh? I'm just gonna have to look over my shoulder all the time now?" Darby took a seat next to her. "I'll admit, its kinda terrifying. But I got your back! I'll keep you safe, okay?" She took a long look at Rattata's pokeball. "Safe... I were a strong trainer, I wouldn't need you to keep me safe." Darby got up and gave her his hand, offering to help her to her feet. "I get that. It sucks, feeling like you can't do anything. But it won't be like that for long! I'll help you train, and you can battle for yourself." She grabbed his hand and rose to her feet. "I guess you're right. We'll put a stop to these guys, right?" Darby smiled a hero's smile. "Of course we will! The good guys always win in the end." The girl couldn't help but smile herself. "You're such a dork." He raised a finger at Abby. "But am I wrong, though?" "Hmph, not in the slightest."

Meanwhile, Alexander was transported to Goldenrod, materializing in front of its pokemon center. He quickly made his way to Goldenrod's underground. Before he could reach Elliana's hidden office, he was stopped by a Neos Grunt. "So how'd things work out? I don't see the girl with you, don't tell me she got away from you somehow." Alexander sighed, clearly displeased with his performance. "No, she did not. However, that trainer from the well was with her. I didn't anticipate that, as of right now he is the stronger trainer." The grunt laughed. "No kidding? And here I was feeling sorry for myself after losing to 'em. Feel a little better now that I know you lost too." Growing impatient, Alexander walked past him. "I have to report to Ms. Elliana, I don't have time to waste with you." His fellow team member felt a rush of disdain run through him. It bothered him someone so young was so competent, but he knew he wouldn't be able to stand up to him.

He opened the door to see Elliana seated at her desk. "Ah, Alexander. What do you have to report?" Alexander braced himself, knowing he would have to report a failed assignment. "I'm sorry mother, but I failed to apprehend our rogue member. She's traveling with the trainer who disrupted our operation at Slowpoke Well, and has no intention of returning to us." The Neos boss looked up from her computer, with a much calmer expression than he had anticipated. "I see. That is unfortunate. I did see potential in her to be a great battler, but I erred in judgement. She doesn't possess the heart to get her hands dirty like us. Also, remember what I told you about calling me that while working? Right now you are my Lieutenant." Internally, Alexander flinched at his mistake, but felt relieved to not incur the wrath of his adoptive mother. "You're a good boy, Alexander. You understand my vision. This world is unfair, and uncaring towards those like us. That is why we must band together, and take what we want by force. Even though we must do it through unsavory means." Alexander placed a hand over his chest. "Of course Ms. Elliana, I'm eternally grateful for everything you've done for me. I apologize for not addressing you correctly." 

Although she did not want to show it, Elliana was annoyed with current events. The disruption of her operation meant a lack of captial for her team, and she lost a new, malliable recruit. If that brat didn't ruin everything, she would have made a pretty coin selling tails, and Abby would still be under her thumb. Her process for selecting new blood was simple- they were either low life scum with nothing to lose, or young and impressionable minds she can mold to her liking. Elliana was confident that with enough time, Abby could have become a trusted Lieutenant like Alexander. "It's quite alright, Alexander, I'm most disappointed in Abby leaving us. If anything, it would have been good for you to work with someone close to you in age. I'm sure those brats will come through Goldenrod, as her new friend is taking the gym challenge I assume. Contnue to track them as you have been, and I want you to deliver a message for me next time you see them." 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is the only chapter I'm going to pretty much rewrite from the ground up. If you were reading this before I made the edits. I changed Gold into Darby (Gold was so OOC I thought it would be best to make him his own character) and I scrapped Silver from the story since it wouldn't make sense for him to be the rival. From now on Alexander will act as a shared rival between our protagonists. I hope you'll warm up to the changes, and thanks for reading!


	8. Eggscellent Adventure to Goldenrod

"Ugh I can't believe that old man..." Darby and Croconaw held their backs in an overdramatic fashion. "And you! You didn't lift a finger!" Abby crossed her arms. "I supervised." In exchange for a copy of H.M. 01-Cut Darby and Croconaw hauled freshly chopped logs for the charcoal master and his apprentice. "Don't know why I let you tag along sometimes..."

“Oh come on, you love having me around.” Darby wouldn’t admit it, but there was something about arguing with her that he strangely enjoyed. "Yeah, I guess I do. Bring Rattata out by the way, I need your help with something.” “Can you tell me why first? You have a bad habit of keeping me in the dark for no reason.” He tossed her the H.M. “This move sucks, and I don’t want to teach it to Croconaw. We’re gonna capture a pokemon that can learn cut so we can get out of this forest.” Abby shrugged her shoulders. “Kinda rude to the pokemon, but if you say so.” She released Rattata from her pokeball. “Nah, I gotta fill out dex pages for Professor Elm anyway, it’s a win win. Now let’s see…”

Darby scanned the forest floor, and spotted a Paras scuttling by. “There! Have Rattata weaken it a bit, and I’ll catch it with this great ball.” “Why us?” Darby facepalmed. “Because Croconaw and Togepi would knock it out in one hit! Always asking questions.” “Oh that’s rich, coming from the guy who basically interrogated me when we first met. Rattata quick attack!” “Ta!” Rattata zig zagged towards Paras, catching it off guard and slamming into its side “Paras!” Darby threw his great ball, turning his attention back to Abby as it rocked in place. “Touche.” Darby picked up his ball containing his newly caught Paras. “Paras!” The mushroom pokemon still looked rattled from the quick attack. “Hey buddy, sorry about the surprise, lemme teach you a move to make up for it.” Paras!” The mushroom pokemon learned cut, and cleared a path deeper into the forest.

“You might as well keep Rattata out, there are lots of wild pokemon that make for good training.” Abby took Darby’s advice, along the way she and Rattata K.O.’d venonats, caterpie, pidgeys, and other forest dwelling pokemon. Soon enough they neared the forest exit. “Good call on sparring with wild pokemon, Rattata looks tougher already.” “Keep it up and she’ll be a Raticate in no time.” Darby couldn’t help but stare at her, she looked so pleased with herself. “Uh, why’re you staring at me?” The young trainer shifted his eyes forward. “I wasn’t staring, I was about to ask you something.” “Oh?” “I wanted to ask if you were cool with going to Goldenrod, knowing everything you’ve been through.” Abby mulled over his question. “Yeah, I should be fine. The city didn’t do anything to me, Team Rocket did. And I’m with you now, so it’s totally different.”

Abby shoved her hands into her jacket pockets realizing what she might have implied. “I mean it’s different now than then! Not that you’re like my personal bodyguard or something. What happened to me is in the past! And I got a friend with me so I won’t get isolated like I did. I’ve changed a lot in these past few days, so…” “Er, yeah, don’t worry, I know what you mean.” Darby cut her off, to save them both from any more awkwardness.

The pair exited Ilex Forest and made their way up Route 34. The Goldenrod skyline was in sight. Darby battled a few trainers while Abby and Rattata fought some more wild pokemon. “Easy money.” Darby said to himself, counting his winnings. In the distance, an old man stood outside his yard and waved over the two travelers. “Hello there! You two look spent, may I invite you in for a cup of tea?” Abby and Darby looked at each other. The man seemed friendly enough, so they obliged him and entered his home. “Come sit down, don’t worry I’ll pour you each a cup.” An old woman, probably the man’s wife, stood over her kitchen counter pouring tea for everyone. They all sat down at the dining table, waiting for their tea to cool off. 

“So what brings you young folk out this way?” The old man inquired. “Well, my name’s Darby. I’m taking the gym challenge, so I’m headed to Goldenrod’s gym. “Ah to be a young pokemon trainer.” His wife took a sip of her tea. “And what about you miss? Challenging gyms as well?” Abby went to take a sip, but burnt her tongue in the process. “Ah, hot! Um… I’m going to see my family in Ecruteak, so I’m traveling with my friend. He’s going there to challenge the gym anyway, so I might as well tag along.” The old woman smiled. “Well isn’t that nice. Now I don’t mean to spook ya, but my husband didn’t just invite y’all in just to chat. Wait here a tick.” The lady disappeared into the other room and came back with an incubator containing a pokemon egg. “You see, my wife and I run a pokemon daycare. A man left one of his pokemon here, and it laid an egg in our care. He said he couldn’t take the responsibility of caring for a young pokemon, the reason he left his pokemon with us was because he took a family vacation. ‘I already got kids at home’ and all that. Point is, you two look like a responsible young couple, would y’all mind taking this egg off our hands?” Abby spit out her tea. “C-c-couple!? No no no, I think you got the wrong idea.” Darby went into a coughing fit. “I think my tea went down the wrong pipe…” The daycare lady grabbed some napkins for the two of them. “Sorry for assumin’, we didn’t mean ya no harm.” The daycare man chuckled.

Darby wiped his mouth and cleared his throat. “We’re just friends, but yeah, I think we can take care of the egg, what do you think Abby?” “I guess so, what could go wrong.” The elderly man clapped his hands together. “Wonderful! Thank you two so much. We really can’t afford to raise a baby pokemon and run the daycare. I knew I spotted some trustworthy folk.” Abby and Darby said their goodbyes. There were some straps on the incubator, letting Abby wear it like a backpack. She looked at the egg, noticing faint thunderbolt patterns on it. “Must be an electric type pokemon…” “Probably.” Darby chimed in. “Whatever comes out will be yours to take care of by the way.”

“Are you sure?” Darby sensed some trepidation in Abby’s voice. “Sure I’m sure. If I can handle Togepi, you can handle the pokemon in that egg. If you have any trouble with it, I’ll be around to help out.” Darby’s words put Abby at ease. Before they knew it, the nature of Route 34 gave way to the sprawling metropolis of Goldenrod City. “I forgot to mention, I’ve never been to Goldenrod before, mind showing me around?” Abby nodded. “There’s this food truck my sisters and I always used to hit when we came here. It’s usually parked across from the train station. C’mon, I’ll show ya.” Darby’s heart skipped a beat as Abby grabbed his hand, leading him into the Goldenrod crowd.


	9. A Day in the Big City

Abby and Darby dug their forks into their rice platters. “Isn’t this the best fried rice you ever had?” Abby ate her food as fast as a Munchlax. “Yeah, definitely, you might wanna slow down though.” Darby watched a train pull into the station. “Nah, I can’t get enough of this stuff. So where do you wanna go next?” He looked around and spotted a large tower with an observatory at the top. “How about the Radio Tower? That seems like a fun thing to do.”

“What do you mean the Observatory is closed until further notice!?” Abby whined at the security guard. “Sorry miss, it's being renovated. You can still play some fun games at the front desk if you’d like.” “Uuughh, I guess…” Abby dragged her feet to the receptionist’s desk. “You seemed pretty bummed.” “Of course I’m bummed! I wanted to look at the view with you, I mean, I wanted you to see it.”

“It would’ve been cool, but there’s always another time, let’s play some games.” Darby checked his trainer ID, unsurprisingly he didn’t have any lucky numbers. He turned his attention towards the quiz, and aced it on his first try. “Oooh look at the big brains on Darby!” “You’re just jealous of my shiny new radio card.” Darby pushed the radio card into an empty slot on his pokegear. He tuned into the Lucky Channel and turned it on full blast. “S-stop that! People are looking!” Darby danced on his way out of the radio tower. “Am I embarrassing you?” “Yes! Now stop, you can’t dance.”

“Fine.” Darby turned off the radio as they took a seat on a bench across the street. Out of the corner of his eye, Darby spotted a figure dressed in all black near the radio tower entrance. “Don’t look now, but I think that’s the guy from the forest.” Abby looked to see Alexander approaching them. He calmly sat down next Darby.

“Hello again, fancy meeting you two here.” Darby reached for a pokeball. “I wouldn’t do that if I were you. You and I both know that unsanctioned street battles are illegal. Aren’t you taking the gym challenge? I wouldn’t want you to get taken into custody, it might hurt your goal to compete at the league.” He begrudgingly dropped his ball back into the bag. “That’s right. I happened to notice the two of you running around town, so I thought I’d take a moment to chat.” Abby gripped the bench she sat on. “Can you just get to the point?” Alexander scoffed at her. “Rude, I thought of us as friends, but fine. If you had come with me willingly, Ms. Elliana would have extended an olive branch to you, but the bridge is now burned. You and your friend have been branded as enemies of Team Neos. I would tread carefully from now on. As for myself, I want to make one think clear: I'm disappointed in you, Abby." She peaked her head out from behind Darby's figure to meet his eyes. "Ms. Elliana felt you had a future with us, and I was excited that someone close to my age was joining. I thought we could have been friends. I admit, I gave a cold first impression, for that, I apologize. I won't take joy in making you pay for your transgressions, but I am loyal to Ms. Elliana above all else. For now, I'll have to take my leave, goodbye. 

Alexander excused himself from the conversation, and disappeared into the Goldenrod crowd. Darby looked to his friend, he expected her to be spiralling into dispair as she did in Ilex Forest, but she looked more melancholic than anything else. "You know, I feel bad for him. I don't know his story, but I'm willing to bet Elliana took advantage of him, like she did me. The difference is by sheer luck, I had you to pull me out of that place. If I had stayed, would I have hardened my heart? Stop caring about pokemon and only for myself?" "Abby..." "I think I know what I need to do. Before Team Neos becomes the next Team Rocket, I need to put a stop to them."

Darby felt the convicton behind Abby's words. "Well, when you put it like that, count me in. I'll back you up. I'm a goody-goody after all, can't help but want to take down a budding criminal empire." Abby grinned. "Glad I'm not alone, at least." The young boy stood up from the bench, turning to face Abby. "I think you just found your reason for being a trainer. Once you become stronger, we'll work together to take down Team Neos, sound good?" Abby nodded in agreement. "Yeah, we'll make sure Elliana doesn't manipulate anyone else into doing her dirty work!" Darby extended his hand to her. "Let's shake on it." The two joined hands. Abby felt elated. For the first time since she met Darby, she took his hand as an equal, not as someone who needed help.


	10. Bug Catcher Abby!

"So, what else is there to do in Goldenrod?" Abby placed her hand on her chin, before a light went off in her brain. "I just realized, the bug catching contest is today! If we hurry over, I think we can make it in time to register." Before she could say any more, Gold began to sprint down the sidewalk toward the north side of the city. "What are we waiting for then? I'll race you there!" Abby began running after Darby, complaining about his head start along the way.

As he was about to close registration to the bug catching contest, two trainers burst into the park entrance. “We’re not too late are we?” Abby called out to the park attendant. “You made it just in time, would you like to register? Darby and Abby shook their heads yes. “Great. You can only take one pokemon with you during the contest, I’ll hold the rest for you.” Darby looked at his pokeballs. “Sorry Croconaw, but you might be a little too strong for these bug types, I’ll have to go with Togepi for today.” Abby had an easier time, as she only had Rattata at the moment. She slipped the egg incubator off her back. It’d be easier on her if she just left the egg with the park attendant for a little while. “Alright, you each get 30 park balls. You have until sundown to catch the strongest bug pokemon you can find. But if you’re confident in your catch, feel free to come back and wait until the rest of the contestants are finished. Get out there and have fun!” The pair walked out into the park, cries of bug pokemon could be heard all around them. “I think we should split up, don’t wanna get into it with you if I spot a particularly strong pokemon.” Darby released Togepi from its ball. “I was gonna say the same thing, may the best bug catcher win?” “Yeah, good luck!” They went their separate ways, determined to find a catch worthy of first prize.

Darby’s luck wasn’t the greatest. Venonats, Caterpies, Weedles. No pokemon that came out and said “winner!” to him. That changed when he spotted a Scyther in the tall grass. Thinking back to his battle with Bugsy, a Scyther would be more than enough for first place, and a worthy edition on his team. “Togepi use swift!” The wild Scyther was struck by stars from behind, turning to give its attacker an angry glare. “Scyther!” It charged forward to meet Togepi in battle. Before it could close in, Scyther was blasted with another flurry of stars. “Scyther…” Knowing it was outmatched, Scyther eyed an escape route. Darby knew if he wanted to catch this pokemon, he’d have to throw a ball now. However, he spotted Abby across the park. Sure, a Scyther would be nice, but he had something more interesting in mind. “Togepi, aim your swift attack to Scyther’s left!” “Pi?” Togepi was confused, but followed his trainer’s command. Scyther “evaded” the attack that never misses, and ran off to the other side of the park, towards Abby’s location. “Let’s see you put that training in Ilex Forest to good use, Abby.”

Her eyes widened as a Scyther landed a few meters in front of her. “This is our chance Rattata! Close the gap with quick attack!” Rattata lunged at Scyther, throwing its body directly into Scyther’s jaw. Scyther stumbled, it couldn’t catch a break. Abby took notice that Scyther looked like it was in a battle already. “Lucky! It must have been fighting with another trainer and fled!” Abby readied a park ball and tossed it at Scyther. The mantis pokemon disappeared into the ball. Abby clasped her hands together, praying for Scyther to be caught. The park ball rocked from left to right, before sitting motionless. The ball’s light turned off, signalling that Scyther had been caught. “Yes! We did it Rattata! We caught a Scyther!” “Ta!” Abby ran over to collect her new pokemon. “I don’t think we’ll get a stronger catch than this girl, let’s turn in.

Abby grew impatient waiting for the rest of the contestants to finish at the park gate. She looked down at the park ball, containing her freshly caught Scyther. Out of the corner of her eye, she spotted a familiar face approaching the gate. “Darby!” She ran to greet her friend. “You’re not gonna believe this! Guess what I caught.” Darby feigned interest, he knew exactly what she caught. “A Butterfree?” “Nah, check this out!” She tossed the ball, releasing Scyther. “Scyther!” It looked at Darby in confusion, but he lifted a finger to his mouth as if to say “Don’t tell her.” “Wow, impressive catch! You might take home first prize with a pokemon like that.” Abby grinned. “I know! Not bad for my first real pokemon catch huh?” “Not bad at all.”

“In third place, we have Noah, with his fierce looking Beedrill!” The contestants clapped for the third place winner. “In second, we have Darby, who caught a Pinsir! Just look at those horns!” Darby smiled, but he was really hoping this meant Abby was taking first. “And our winner… First place and our grand prize goes to… Abby! Who caught one of the toughest looking Scythers I’ve seen while organizing these contests!” Abby pumped her fist into the air. “I did it!” She grabbed Darby’s hands jumping up and down in joy. She stopped, realizing what she was doing. “S-sorry, I tend to get a little excited over things like this…” Darby could only laugh. “It’s fine, it’s like Azalea Gym all over again.” The rest of the contestants circled around them and congratulated Abby. “Thanks for playing folks! Please come over to the desk to claim your prize. Even if you didn’t place, you still get a consolation prize for entering!” Darby and Abby collected their prizes and began heading back to Goldenrod.

“Guess we’ll get a room at the pokemon center?” Abby was snapped from her daze. Before she knew it, they had re-entered Goldenrod. “Yeah, that sounds good. Sorry, I’m still kind of shocked I won. I honestly got lucky, Scyther looked like it battled another trainer before I found it.” “You don’t say?” The young trainers entered the pokemon center. “Um, Darby…” “Yeah?” “Make sure you get a room with 2 beds, I don’t want you sleeping on the floor again.” Darby’s face heated up. “O-oh, right. I’ll keep that in mind.”


	11. Good Things Come in Twos

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A note for readers who have been following since the beginning- I made some edits to chapter 7. I wasn't satisfied with how short it was, and I felt Alexander's introduction fell flat because of it. I added an extra scene which will be important going forward, so it'd be a good idea to go back and read it to get context for things to come. Thanks for reading!

“Rise and shine sleepyhead!” Abby threw a pillow at a sleeping Darby. “Are you making this a thing? I don’t want it to be a thing.” Abby moved to open the blinds. “Ah...bright.” The boy pulled his blanket over his head. “You have any plans for today? You’re the Goldenrod expert.” Abby placed a hand on her chin. “Well, I wanted to hit the Goldenrod Department Store and get myself a backpack, I want a big one so I can stuff this giant incubator into it. Other than that, our day’s wide open. You gonna challenge the gym soon?” Darby mustered the willpower to sit up. “Nah, I wanna train up a little first, maybe catch another pokemon to round out my team. You up for some more training? I bet Scyther is a handful.” She looked to the floor, locating her belt with two pokeballs attached to it. “Sounds like a plan.”

After getting through their morning routines, Abby and Darby exited the center and headed for the department store. “So what does this place have?” “Everything a trainer could ask for!” “That’s kinda vague.” Abby rolled her eyes. “Potions, T.M.’s, pokeballs, trainer gear, nutrients for your pokemon, a food court on the roof… And probably a bunch of other stuff I’m forgetting.” “Seems like a fun place.”

A greeter called out to them “Welcome to the Goldenrod Department Store!” They thanked her and walked over to the directory. “Fourth floor, trainer gear! Let’s find me a backpack.” Abby led Darby over to the elevator, catching one as it came down. “So where are you looking to train today?” “Route 35, there’s a certain pokemon there that I’m interested in catching.” Abby was intrigued. “What pokemon?” “Nidoran, I think catching one will really help me against Goldenrod’s gym leader.” Abby thought for a moment. “How? Nidoran is a poison type isn’t it? Goldenrod’s leader uses normal types, so there’s no type advantage…” The elevator doors opened to the fourth floor. “Yeah but Nidoran learns double kick, a fighting type move.” Things started to make sense. “Wow, you put a lot of thought into these battles huh?” Darby looked around for backpacks. “Well yeah, I gotta. These gym leaders are no joke, you know.”

Abby settled on a bag she liked, although the egg took up most of the bag space. The two left the department store and made their way to Route 35. Darby battled a few trainers, defeating them soundly. Towards the end of the route, they happened upon a patch of tall grass. “Arlight, let’s bag a Nidoran.” Before long, Darby spotted a pair of purple ears sticking out of a bush. “There you are…” He brought Togepi out of its ball. “Okay Togepi, you know the drill.” “Pi!” Togepi used swift, the Nidoran was blindsided by the attack. “Nido!” “Now, use sweet kiss Togepi!” Togepi ran up to Nidoran and pecked it on the cheek. “Aww! So cute!” Abby cooed. Bewildered, Nidoran tried to launch an attack, but tripped over itself in confusion. Darby lazily tossed a pokeball at Nidoran. Without strength to break free, Nidoran was captured. “Alright! let’s get you healed up and we’ll spend the rest of the day training.” Darby picked up the pokeball and started to head back.

Before they could leave the tall grass, a spiky blue pokemon blocked their path. “Nido!” A female Nidoran stood before them, looking particularly angry at Darby. “Oh boy, did I capture it’s friend?” Darby grabbed the back of his neck. “Well, this is awkward..” Abby looked at the growling pokemon. “I’d hate to see them separated, lemme try to catch it. Go, Rattata!” “Ta!” Rattata landed on the ground, taking a battle ready stance. “Tackle it Rattata!” Rattata landed a direct hit on Nidoran. It slid backwards, but launched a counter attack with poison sting. “Use quick attack to evade Rattata!” The mouse pokemon dodged Nidoran’s attack. She followed up with another tackle, knocking Nidoran over. Abby saw her opening, and threw a pokeball at Nidoran. After a couple of shakes, the Nidoran was caught. “I got it! That makes three pokemon for me!” Abby happily collected her ball. “Nice going, you’ve been improving a lot lately.”

“Ah, thanks.” Darby thought about teasing her for thanking him, but he decided to let it go this time. “Let her have her moment…” “Did you say something?” Abby walked over to Darby. “Nope, let’s head out, we got a long day of training ahead of us.” Darby looked behind Abby. “Uh Abby, you might wanna turn around.” Abby looked to see Rattata engulfed in a blinding white light. It grew larger, more round. It’s tail became longer and uncurled itself. Her whiskers and teeth grew as well. There was a final flash of light, exposing Rattata’s new form. “Rattata!? You evolved!” “Raticate!” The former Rattata jumped into Abby’s arms, nearly toppling her over with her new size and weight. “I don’t think I’ll be able to let you sit on my shoulder anymore…”


	12. Scyther's Rematch: Showdown in Ilex Forest!

After heading back to the pokemon center, Darby decided it’d be a good idea to train Nidoran in Ilex Forest. “I’m gonna focus on training Nidoran today, why don’t you try training Scyther a bit?” “Oh, sure…” Truth be told, Abby was a little intimidated to train Scyther. She knew how fierce they could be after seeing Bugsy’s. Somewhat anxious, Abby released Scyther from its ball. “Scyther!” The pokemon disregarded Abby, it seemed more fixated on Darby. “Hey uh Scyther, let’s do some training…” “Scyther!” Scyther pointed its blade at Darby and Nidoran. The young trainer blanched as it uninetionally exposed his secret. Abby remembered Scyther’s already weakened state when she came upon it. “Wait a minute… You were the trainer that weakened Scyther, weren’t you?” “I don’t…. Ugh, yes. That was me. I wanted to help you catch a strong pokemon, so I weakened Scyther and let him go on purpose.” A feeling of betrayal washed over Abby. “When I asked you for help, that’s not what I had in mind. Maybe some guidance or a push in the right direction, but not for you to baby me. I want to earn it like everyone else.”

Darby felt ashamed of himself. “I’m sorry Abby, that didn’t even occur to me. I thought I was helping.” Scyther took a step closer towards Darby, looking for a fight. “Yeah, but it didn’t help. And now look at where it got us. Scyther doesn’t respect me! It’s like my sister’s all over again, always coddling me…” “Abby I…” Darby was cut off by the sound of Raticate coming out of its ball. “I’ll chew you out later, for now, I gotta fix the problem you made. Scyther!” The pokemon turned its head to Abby. “Raticate and I will be your opponent. We’ll face you in a fair fight, and prove to you that we can be a team.” Scyther seemed to understand, readying itself for battle with Raticate.

Scyther jumped into the tree line of Ilex Forest, vanishing from sight. “It’s just like Darby’s battle with Bugsy…” Abby scanned the surrounding trees, but it was no use, Scyther had disappeared. Suddenly, Scyther launched itself at Raticate. “D-dodge!” Abby made the call too late, Scyther brought the broad side of its bladed arm down on Raticate, smacking it across her face. “Cate!” Raticate cried as Scyther leaped back. “Why did Scyther use its blade like that? If it used it like normal, it could have made a deep cut into Raticate… Is it testing us?” Scyther motioned at Raticate, as if to say “come at me.” Like her trainer, Raticate lost its cool and launched a quick attack at Scyther. This is what the bug pokemon wanted, as it took a horizontal swing aimed at intercepting her attack. “Jump now!” Raticate listened to her trainer, Raticate bounded over Scyther’s blade and barreled into its face. “Yes! I think that was a critical hit!.” Scyther collected itself, and began its retaliation. Time slowed down for Abby, as Scyther moved towards Raticate, an idea formed in her head. “Raticate use hyper fang to catch Scyther’s attack!” Taking a page out of Darby’s playbook, Raticate caught Scyther’s arm in her jaw. “Scy!?” Before it could realize what was happening, Raticate shifted its body weight to slam Scyther down on the ground. Raticate hopped back to Abby’s side, waiting for Scyther to get up. After rising to its feet, Scyther bowed its head to Raticate and Abby.

“Are you… Recognizing me as your trainer?” “Scy.” Scyther’s cry was a resounding yes. “Thank you, Scyther. I think that’s enough training for you today.” Scyther willingly returned to its pokeball, having found common ground with its trainer through battle. “I know you’re still mad at me, but that was incredible Abby! You’ve grown so much as a trainer in such a short amount of time! You’re a natural Abby!” She struggled to handle the mix of emotions brewing inside her. Abby was still mad at him for lying, but his praise meant a lot. “I’m still mad.. But thanks. If I didn’t watch your battle at Azalea Gym, I wouldn’t have been able to beat Scyther. Raticate and I had to time our attacks perfectly, just like you did against Bugsy.”

Darby lifted his head, it wasn’t going to be easy, but he was going to tell her the truth. “I’m gonna be honest Abby, I know I try to act cool all the time, but I’m just as scared as you are sometimes! When you asked me to help you become a trainer, I was really happy. But at the same time, it terrified me. I’m technically a rookie myself, what could I teach you? I wasn’t sure how much help you needed, and it looks like I crossed a boundary I shouldn’t have. I’m sorry what I did gave you so much trouble. I’ll pay you more respect and give you space to grow from now on. I’m sorry.”

Abby stood in silence for what felt like an eternity to Darby. “I… accept your apology.” The boy released the tension he was holding on to.. “It just bothers me when people treat me like a kid and try to do everything for me. So no more of that, arlight?” Darby straightened up again at her biting tone. “Of course!” She gazed into the eyes of her tutor, Darby nearly flinched at the amount of eye contact she was making. “For someone who’s a rookie, I learned a lot from watching you battle. You’re doing a good job teaching me, okay?” Darby didn’t know where to go next with this heart to heart. “So um, now?” Abby walked over and gave Darby a hug that ended as quickly as it began. “Whenever my sisters and I have a fight, we always hug when it’s over. To show that it’s all water under the bridge. So there, it’s over.” Darby looked down at Nidoran, who was a confused bystander to this entire scene. “Guess we’ll um, get back to training?” “Y-yeah, let’s do that.” The two trainers continued their routine in the forest before calling it a day.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for another last minute edit on chapter 7, but I changed the script slightly in the scene between Alexander and Elliana. Elliana was changed to be Alexander's adoptive mother, which will have implications for the story to come. Anyway, thanks for reading!


	13. Battle at Goldenrod Gym! Cool vs Cute!

Abby awoke before Darby, nothing unusual about that. Although Darby was a hard worker, he was also a late sleeper. Like an ill tempered alarm clock, Abby threw a pillow at his face. “I’m up, I’m up.” He groaned. “I can’t believe your Nidoran evolved before mine.” For the past couple of days, Abby and Darby had been training outside of Goldenrod to prepare for Darby’s gym battle. “Hey, it happens. Today’s the day though, I think my team is ready for Whitney.” They went through their morning routines, Darby complaining about how long Abby takes in the bathroom.

They walked over to the gym, but stopped as an odd noise was heard from Abby’s backpack. “Hold on a sec.” Abby stopped on the sidewalk to take the incubator out of the bag. “Oh my god Darby! The egg is hatching!” Abby scrambled to remove the egg from the incubator to give the newborn pokemon space. The crown of the egg cracked first, revealing what looked like an electrical plug. The rest of the pokemon emerged from the egg. “Elekid!” “Whoa, hey there little guy, my name’s Abby!” “Elekid!” The electric pokemon quickly bonded to its “mother.” Abby received a shock from the electric newborn that knocked her off her feet. Darby burst out laughing at Abby’s hair, which was now frazzled in a million different directions. “Arrrgh! And I spent so much time on my hair this morning too!” She gave Darby a death glare quickly silencing him as he pulled out his pokedex. Elekid began to swing its arms from side to side. “Why is it doing that?” “Dexter here says that’s how Elekid charges its energy.” Abby pulled a brush out of her bag, trying to salvage her hair as best she could. “Let’s just go to the gym, I don’t want to be seen like this.”

She somehow managed to get her hair under control as they stepped into the gym. Darby looked around, the gym looked… Pretty? It was very pink, but also plain, like the normal types the gym specialized in. “Hey there, looking for Whitney? A tall, blue haired woman walked over to Darby. “Yeah, can you take me to her?” The gym attendant smiled. “Why of course! What a polite and handsome young man. This way please.” Darby blushed while Abby looked more annoyed than anything. “Ugh, act like a professional…” She thought she was being quiet, but the attendant heard her comment. “And who might you be? Is your girlfriend here to cheer you on?” Abby’s face went red with anger and embarrassment. “Why does everyone jump to that?! H-he’s just my friend, and I like to watch battles so here I am…” The beauty suppressed a giggle. “Oh to be young and have a crush on a boy…” She thought.

Whitney stood at the opposite end of the battle arena. “Oh Whitney! We have a challenger here for you!” Whitney looked up. “Coming!” Whitney jogged over.”Heya! I’m Whitney, what’s your name?” “I’m Darby.” “And I’m Abby!” Whitney looked over the two of them. “Soooooo like, which one of you am I battling today?” Darby stepped forward. “That would be me, Abby is here for moral support.” She rolled her eyes. “How cute! I wish I had someone to cheer me on like that. But I think I’ll manage.” Darby wasn’t sure what to make of Whitney, she acted more like an idol than a gym leader. “Pokemon are just too cute! So cute I became a trainer. Before I knew it, they made me a gym leader! Funny how life works, right?” Darby sweatdropped. “They just made her a gym leader? I can’t tell if this is how she is or if there’s something I’m missing here.” He wiped the thought from his mind as he reached for Pinsir’s pokeball.

Abby had excused herself to the stands while Darby chatted with Whitney. She sat in the front row, with the gym attendant standing a few meters from her getting ready to call the match. She walked over to Abby. “So between you and me, I’m really hoping your friend loses, not because Whitney’s my friend, but because I don’t really want to deal with her later.” Abby raised an eyebrow at her. “Deal with her? What do you mean by that?” She looked over her shoulder to see Whitney preoccupied. “You might find out soon, but Whitney is a huge sore loser. She’ll be crying on my shoulder for at least an hour after a loss. She might seem like an airhead, but she’s extremely competitive.”

“This will be a 2 on 2 pokemon battle, are you both ready?” “Yes!” Whitney and Darby answered simultaneously. “Let the battle begin!” As the gym attendant threw down her flag, the two combatants threw their pokeballs. “Go, Pinsir!” “Go! Clefairy!” Clefairy struck a pose as it hit the gym floor. “Well, your pokemon definitely are cute.” Darby shouted across the arena. “Thanks, your Pinsir is um, something! Clefairy, let’s start things off with a double slap!” Clefairy bounced over to Pinsir, delivering a swift series of slaps to Pinsir’s face. Pinsir was hurt, but looked more annoyed than anything. “Pinsir use vicegrip!” Pinsir closed his spiky horns around Clefairy “Fairy!” Clefairy struggled to break free. “Now follow it up with a seismic toss!” Pinsir tossed the fairy pokemon across the arena. “How dare you!” Whitney’s demeanor completely changed. “Does she have another side to her like Darby does?” Abby mused aloud. Clefairy slow rose to its feet, ready for more. “Go in for another double slap Clefairy!” The pink pokemon charged in once more, but before she could start her offense, she found herself in Pinsir’s grip once again. “Nice counter Pinsir! Let’s wrap it up.” Pinsir increased its grip, making Clefairy pass out. “Clefairy is unable to battle! This round goes to the challenger!” The gym attendant tried her hardest not to sound unenthusiastic annoucing Darby's round win. “C’mon Whitney, pull out your ace and end this.”

Whitney returned her Clefairy to its ball without a word. “You’ll pay for that, go! Miltank!” A large cow pokemon emerged from its pokeball. “Miiillll!” Darby took stock of Miltank. “It looks pretty bulky, maybe it’s kind of slow? We’re gonna need to be on our game if we want to win.” Miltank, use rollout!” Miltank spun in place for a moment, before rolling towards Pinsir at a breakneck speed. “It’s fast!?” Pinsir was knocked over, Miltank landing on its feet behind it. “It’s been fun, but now I’m serious, rollout again!” Miltank charged again, but came at Pinsir faster and harder than before. “Siiiir!” Pinsir was knocked down once more. “Pinsir…” The bug pokemon slowly rose to its feet. Rollout is a rock type move, this isn’t good. “We need to score a good hit Pinsir, get ready!” “You know what to do Miltank.” The cow pokemon began another rollout. “Get ready to time your vicegrip Pinsir! Lower your head and open your horns wide. When she gets close, clamp down and catch her!” Pinsir understood perfectly. Miltank’s body lined up with Pinsir’s as they collided. Pinsir slid back, Miltank’s weight pushing him backward. The stag beetle pokemon gripped Miltank’s sides, and flipped her upward. “Tank!?” Miltank was surprised, she expected Pinsir to be flattened, not to be flying through the air. Miltank crash landed, but stood up ready for more. Pinsir on the other hand, spent the rest of his might on that final gambit. He collapsed to the floor. “Pinsir is unable to battle, this round goes to Whitney!”

“Sorry Pinsir, I underestimated our opponent.” Pinsir was returned to its ball. Once again, Darby’s back was to the wall. “C’mon Darby! I’ve seen you win these! You’re walking out with a badge today!” Darby looked up and nodded at Abby. “Fat chance, kid.” Whitney muttered to herself. Darby took a deep breath. “It’s your time to shine now, go! Nidorino!” A spiky purple pokemon debuted in the arena. “Second verse, same as the first! Miltank rollout!” Miltank began another charge. “Turn around and face me Nidorino, I’ll give you the signal.” “Nido!” Without fear, Nidorino turned its back to Miltank. “What’s your play, Darby?” Whitney was confused by Darby’s actions. “Now! Fire a double kick!” Nido gave Miltank two swift kicks with its hind legs, halting Miltank’s momentum. “Tank!” Miltank doubled over. “Time for a change of plans, Miltank, use attract!” Miltank gave Nidorino a soft, heartfelt look leaving Nidorino in a trance. “Ni… Nidorino…” “A-are you apologizing to Miltank right now!? We’re in the middle of a battle!” Darby was in disbelief as Nidorino fell for Miltank’s charms. “Sometimes, love hurts, Darby.” Miltank hit Nidorino with another rollout, but was too infatuated to defend itself. “C’mon Nidorino, she just slammed into you! Snap out of it!” Abby began to worry, but noticed her bag moving. She looked inside to see Nidoran's ball shaking. “Nidoran?” As if she sensed Nidorino in danger, she popped out of her pokeball. “NIDOOOOOOOO!” The small pokemon let out a mighty roar, gaining the attention of the combatants. “Hey, get your Nidoran under control, this is a gym battle!” All it took was a stern look from Nidoran for Nidorino to come to its senses. Afraid of Nidoran’s wrath, Nidorino shook itself from Miltank’s control. “There we go buddy! I knew you had it in you!” Now that Nidorino’s head was in the game, the momentum shifted back to Darby. After an exchange of double kicks and rollouts, Miltank collapsed. “Miltank is unable to battle! The winner is… Darby!” The gym attendant cringed as she called the match, she knew Whitney was about to burst. As if on cue, the water works began. “H-how could you do that to my darling p-pokemon!? You’re mean! Get out of my gymmmmmm!” Whitney became incoherent as her gym attendant went to console her. “Real sorry about this, I know it’s unprofessional.” She placed her hand on Darby’s shoulder. Darby’s shoulder. “Give me some time to calm her down. Come back in a bit and you’ll get your badge.” Abby and Darby looked at each other and shrugged. “Weirdest gym yet…”

“Well, uh, congrats on your win?” Abby and Darby sat at the pokemon center, waiting on their post victory meal. Nidorino seemed to be apologizing to Nidoran over some pokefood. “She’s got a jealous streak in her, huh?” Nidoran continued to pout at her counterpart. “Well, they came as a package deal, and spent a lot of time training together. If I were Nidoran, I’d be mad too.” Abby smirked. “Oh? Are you the jealous type yourself?” Darby took a sip of his water. “Nope. Nidoran’s got an attitude though, kinda like her trainer.” Abby grabbed her glass, ready to throw water in Darby’s face. “Joking! You’re fine! Your attitude is fine, I mean it.” She lowered her cup. “That’s what I thought.”

On full stomachs, Darby and Abby returned to the gym to claim his badge. Whitney apologized for her behavior, and handed him the plainbadge. “I am sorry about that, I’m trying to work on it. Take this T.M. as a peace offering. “It’s for attract, catch yourself a cute pokemon and teach it that move.” They exchanged goodbyes and left the gym. “Wait does she not think my pokemon are cute? Maybe I should have used Togepi…” They made their way back to the pokemon center for some well deserved rest.

“Hey.” Darby gave Abby a serious look. “Ecruteak is next.” “I know.” She took her shoes off, getting ready for bed. “Tomorrow morning, we’re leaving this center and Goldenrod behind, for now, at least. Get a good night’s sleep, okay?” Darby got up from bed to get the light. “I’ll try.” He laid down in bed, but had to say just one more thing. “Abby, whatever happens, I got your back. Okay?” She pulled her blanket over her face. “Yeah, I-I know…” Abby wanted to break down and tell Darby how much he meant to him. How she’s never bonded with anyone like this in such a short amount of time. But her weak response would have to suffice for now. Darby heard the emotion trembling in her voice. He drifted off to sleep. Tomorrow was going to be an interesting day.


	14. Return to Ecruteak

Abby poked the weird looking tree. “Yep, I think this is the tree the flower shop girl mentioned.” She didn’t know if her eyes were playing tricks on her, but she could have swore she saw it… Twitch? “Well, now’s a good time to give the squirt bottle a shot.” He took the bottle out, getting ready to water the tree. “Here goes something…” Darby squeezed the bottle, a splash of water connecting with the trunk of the tree. “Woodo!” The pokemon’s cry startled Abby, nearly falling on her back. “What the heck!? Why does that tree have a face? And why does it look so angry?” There was no time to answer questions, Darby sent out Croconaw in retaliation. “Use water gun!” Sudowoodo took a blast of water hundreds of times more potent than the squirt bottlle’s spray. “Wooooodo!” The fake tree pokemon fell over, a great ball hitting its midsection soon after. Darby picked up his new catch while checking his pokedex. “Looks like the weird tree was actually a weird pokemon, it likes to stay motionless and pretend to be a tree.” Abby dusted herself off. “Weird, why did it hate water then?” “Despite its appearance, it’s actually a rock type.”

Before nightfall, the two travelers reached Ecruteak. In atmosphere and appearance, it was completely different from Goldenrod. Almost all homes and buildings were built in the traditional Jhoto style, giving the city a rustic feel. It was quieter, more peaceful. “People from Ecruteak are pretty old school, they really value tradition.” It wasn’t hard for Darby to spot the pokemon center, as the one of the few modern buildings, it stuck out even more than it usually does. “And where do you fit into the Ecruteak traditions?” Abby shuddered at memories of dance practice, tea ceremonies, getting caked in makeup, and wearing formal clothes. “Let’s just say I didn’t fit the mold.” Darby knew not to pry.

The two got a room at the pokemon center, deciding to call it a day. “So, what are we doing tomorrow?” Darby looked up at Abby. “I don’t know if I’m ready to face my sisters just yet.” The boy jumped backwards onto his bed. “And I don’t know if I’m ready to take on the gym yet. Think you might give me another tour? This is your hometown after all.” Abby hung her jacket in the closet. “Maybe. Ecruteak is a big city, but everyone knows each other still. If I’m out and about too much, someone might recognize me.” Now he understood why Abby was keeping her head down and refused to approach Nurse Joy’s counter earlier. “Guess we’ll just wing it tomorrow. Before we go to bed, can I ask you something?” Abby sat up in her bunk. “More questions? I’m getting flashbacks.” “C’mon, it’s kinda serious.” She lowered her guard slightly. “Okay, shoot.”

“What’s your plan for taking down Team Neos?” Abby looked to the night sky outside their room’s window. “Don’t really have a plan at the moment, it’s more of a goal right now. All I know is they operate in Goldenrod. Elliana has a small hideout in the underground, but who knows where else they’re set up. I’m gonna need to get stronger first, then I’ll gather info about them and go from there.” Darby turned over on his side. “Seems like a plan to me, guess we’ll just wing it in Ecruteak tomorrow?” “Yeah, g’night Darby.” The girl took one last stretch before laying back down in her bed. “Night Abby.”

Morning came and the two trainers exited the pokemon center. As soon as they stepped out, Abby snatched Darby’s hat from atop his head. “Hey, give my hat back!” Abby pulled the beanie over her head, trying to obscure as much of her face as possible. “No. I’m wearing it to hide my face from people who might recognize me.” “You could have just asked.” She stuck her tongue out. “Also no.”

“So what interests you? We can go anywhere but the dance theater.” “I kind of want to go to the Bell Tower.” She shook her head. “Don’t you know? Only select individuals may enter. I was able to go to perform ceremonies with my siblings, but you? Not so much.” Darby went to grab his hat back. He pulled the beanie halfway off before Abby held on to it and jumped away.. “Sorry for being such a commoner, your highness.” She opened her mouth to yell, but remembered she was out in public. No one in Ecruteak could mistake her loud voice. “Don’t do that.” Darby sensed how irate she was, putting his hands up in defense. “My bad, I know you’re on edge. Shouldn’t have done that.”

The two walked around the City before stopping at a nearby pond. Magikarp could be seen swimming just below the surface, before a rock Abby skipped caused them to scatter. “Four skips, not bad.” Darby remarked. The two sat at the water’s edge. “Hey about before, when I said only special people can visit the Bell Tower…” Darby reached for a rock. “Yeah?” “I think you’ll be able to go there one day.” Darby tried skipping a rock, but it plummeted to the bottom of the pond. “What do you mean?” Abby looked up at Darby. “I think you’ll reach your dream. You’re gonna be a champion one day, and those old sages who guard the tower will have no choice to let you pass.” Darby grabbed the back of his neck. “You really believe that?” Abby stood up, getting ready to toss another stone. “Of course! You’re the most incredible trainer I’ve ever seen! You’re going straight to the top.” She threw her rock, skipping 6 times before finally sinking. “A six skipper! You might not have my talent for rock skipping, but I’m sure I’m standing next to the next top trainer in Jhoto.” Darby was genuinely touched. “That means a lot, coming from you Abby.” He sunk another stone in the pond. “Hey, can you promise me something?” She sat back down next to her friend. “Sure, what is it?” He felt a little embarrassed, but it was too late to back out now. “If I become the champion like you say I will, will you be there, to cheer me on?”

In that moment, Abby was at a loss for words. An unknown feeling came over her, leaving her answer trapped in her throat. “Uhh, Abby?” She blinked and looked away from Darby. “Yeah, of course… But why would you want me there?” He looked towards the sun setting over the Bell Tower. “What’s a victory without someone to share it with? It’s lonely at the top, as they say. Having you at my gym battles gives me the extra strength I need to win, plus I don’t want to lose with you watching..” Abby lowered her head, pulling Darby’s beanie down.. “I think I saw someone who might know me” The boy looked over his shoulder. “But there’s no one around…” Abby walked away from him, hiding her blush. “C’mon, there’s a place I wanted to show you, after the sun goes down.”

Abby and Darby stood in front of an old, decrepit tower. Only the base remained, the building looked charred from fire damage, loose pieces of wood scattered the ground beneath it. “This is the Burned Tower, wanna hear the story behind it?” Darby nodded. “A long time ago, a legendary pokemon used to roost atop this tower. But it hasn’t returned since the tower burned down. During the fire, three pokemon were trapped inside. The legendary pokemon revived these pokemon, saving their lives. It’s said these pokemon represent what had happened to the tower: A lightning strike that started the fire, a blaze that burned the tower, and the storm that extinguished the flames. Cool story, huh?” “Yeah..” She slapped her friend on the back. “Wanna go inside?” Darby was confused. “We can just go in? It looks abandoned, and a little unsafe…” Abby waved her hand. “Nah, it’s totally fine! Those stuffy sages look down on it, but that doesn’t stop hordes of Ecruteak teens from going in. My sisters told me stories of how people spent the night there. Tons of people swear it’s haunted.” She noticed Darby’s nervous expression. “Don’t tell me you’re afraid of ghosts…” Darby cut her off. “N-no! Let’s go inside.” She smuggly gestured towards the tower. “After you.”

As they entered, Abby spotted a familiar blue haired boy standing in the middle of the hall.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm super excited about the next chapter, if you've been reading, I think you'll enjoy it!


	15. Burned Tower Battle!

“Well, if it isn’t my two favorite people!” Alexander turned to greet them. “How have you been? Congrats on your win over Whitney by the way, Darby. Good stuff.” Abby had heard enough. “Stop being so friendly, it’s weird. We know why you’re here, were you following us?” He gave a confident shrug. “I wasn’t not following you. I knew you were showing Darby around, and figured that you’d take him here, as this tower is a historic landmark. And here you are!” To say Abby was creeped out was an understatement. Knowing that Alexander has been following them all day, possibly longer, made her skin crawl. “You know, I was feeling kind of bad for you, but it turns out you’re just a creep! I know it’s basically your job, but can’t you just leave us alone?” Alexander dropped his jovial demeanor, hurt by Abby’s words. “This isn’t really my place to say, but I’m really disappointed that you turned down Ms. Elliana’s favor! We could have given you anything you imagined.”

“I don’t want anything you’re offering, anything you could promise me wouldn’t be worth whatever disgusting things you did to get it.” Alexander balled his hands into fists. “We could have been partners!” The girl’s face scrunched in confusion. “When mo- when Ms. Elliana told me you joined, I was so excited. Finally! Someone my age! Maybe we could be friends.” He took a step forward, she took a step back. “Ms. Elliana’s recruits aren’t usually the brightest. They’re low life scum, with nowhere to go. WIlling to do whatever job for some easy money. When you’re starting an organization like ours, you don’t have the luxury to be choosers…” Things started to click in her mind. “Because of the life I lead, I never had a chance to make friends.”

“Are you the one leading your life, or is Elliana leading your life?” Anger rose from within Alexander. A part of him knew the answer, but he would never admit that. “How dare you! First you reject us, then you have the gall to insult me!? Ms. Elliana was right, people like you will never understand what it’s like to be hated.” Machop was released from its ball, and struck a fighting pose. “You didn’t answer my question, and who hates you? I think you’re creepy and a bit of a weirdo, but I don’t hate you.” Alexander regained his composure. “You really don’t get it, I don’t have a choice.”

“You do. You don’t have to do any of this, why don’t you just leave? I did it, you can too.” The lieutenant nearly gave in to the reason behind Abby’s words, but his anxiety quickly discarded them. What will mother think? What will she do if I go against her? How can I betray my family? How can I do that to the person who raised me? These questions raced through Alexander’s mind as he readied himself for battle.”I’ve heard enough from you. I am a loyal lieutenant of Team Neos, and those who oppose us will pay.” Alexander closed his heart to Abby, it would be the only way he could face her in battle. She unhooked a ball from her belt, and steeled herself for a fight.

“Abby, I think you should…” She looked back at Darby. What she gave him wasn’t quite a glare, but her look gave him a message. Her expression told him that he shouldn’t interfere, and let Abby fight her own battles. “Right, I have faith in you, Abby. Good luck.” Abby turned to the sound of Machop springing forth to action. She released from its pokeball, and set its sights on Machop. Alexander began to worry. Type disadvantage aside, she seemed different from the girl he met in Ilex Forest. “Machop’s usual strikes won’t do anything against a Scyther, this’ll be tough.” After carefully weighing his options, Alexander recognized a solution. “Machop, go in for a seismic toss!” Machop lumbered towards Scyther. “Wing attack Scyther!” With a beat of his wings, Scyther flew towards Machop at a blazing speed. His wings connected with Machop’s shoulder as he failed to grab onto the mantis pokemon. The small, muscular pokemon doubled over in pain from the super effective hit. “Machop!” Concern could be heard in Alexander’s voice as Machop rose back to its feet. Unfortunately for the superpower pokemon, Scyther changed its flight path to launch another attack. “Again!” This time, Scyther hit Machop from behind, a clean hit as Machop had little time to react. It was knocked to the floor once more, but was unable to get up. Alexander’s annoyance grew. “If I had known you caught such a strong pokemon, I would have started off with him!” Alexander tossed a ball into the air, which contained a Graveler. Darby grew concerned, this was an extremely unfavorable match up. However, it was not his place to say.

“Hit it with a pursuit Scyther!” Darby brought his hands to his head, Scyther was about to get hurt. “Rock throw Graveler!” The rock pokemon grabbed some nearby debris and hurled it at Scyther. The flying pokemon’s linear trajectory made for an easy target. Scyther made a mid air collision with Graveler’s attack, knocking it backwards and to the ground. Realizing her headstrong attitude towards battling got her pokemon hurt, she recalled Scyther to its ball. “Sorry buddy, I wasn’t thinking.” Nidorina took Scyther’s place on the battlefield, letting out a roar as it came from its ball. “Get in close for a double kick!” Nidorina complied, and began its charge towards Graveler. “Keep that thing away, rock throw again!” Graveler scooped up more debris, but this time his attack missed its target. Nidorina dodged, as she closed the gap between them, and delivered two swift kicks to Graveler. The boulder-like pokemon stood its ground, but Alexander knew it wouldn’t be able to last.

As the two pokemon stared each other down, Alexander thought of a solution, he thought back to something his mother had told him. “There’s no such thing as an honest fight, there are only winners and losers.” The words echoed in his mind he looked down at the creaky wooden floor of the Burned Tower. An evil idea came to mind as he mulled it over internally. “If Graveler goes down I’ll be left with Abra. I know her Rattata evolved, Abra won’t be able to win against Nidorina and Raticate. I have one option, and I’ll kill two birds with one stone, in more ways than one.” He gave one last look at Abby, admiring her determination. He envied her freedom. “I’m sorry Abby, I truly am. I don’t have a choice here, you might be right.”

Abby’s concern grew at his cryptic choice of words. Before she could call out to him, he ordered his Graveler to attack. “Use magnitude!” Graveler pounded the floor, sending a shockwave towards Abby, Darby, and Nidorina. Almost instantly, the battered floor gave way. Loud snaps rang out into the night sky as a large hole opened before Alexander. Darby and Abby fell into the cavern beneath the tower.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Really happy with how this one came out. Thanks for reading!


	16. Ranger to the Rescue!

Alexander watched the two young trainers and her pokemon disappear into the darkness below. His expression was blank, as if he was trying to separate himself from his actions. Graveler turned to his trainer, confused by the situation. “Graveler?” The pokemon shook him from his daze. “Huh? N-no, I didn’t realize that would happen. Return to your ball.” Before the pokemon could protest, it returned to its ball before getting a proper explanation from its trainer. He took a closer look at his handiwork. He could vaguely make out the shapes of mangled wooden floorboards sticking up from below. He counted his blessings that the tower was sturdy enough to weather a magnitude in its current state. “That was risky, but my gamble paid off.” Alexander continued to scan the debris. “I should probably see if they’re really dead but… I don’t want to.” The sight of their bodies would be too much for him to handle, opting to make his escape instead. He released Abra from its pokeball. “I probably caused an uproar, let’s head home Abra.” The psychic pokemon teleport the two of them back to Goldenrod.

Abby woke up to the vague sound of a man shouting at her. Her head pounded as she took stock of her situation. Abby’s body ached all over. Her arms and legs stung, fresh scapes from wooden boards still bleeding. She squinted up at a light source raining down on her. A man with a shaved head wearing traditional robes had found her in the darkness. “I don’t know what happened, but stay put! Help is on the way.” Slowly, Abby recalled recent events. Almost instantly, she went from nearly securing her win against Alexander to plummeting to the basement below. Suddenly, she came to a realization. “N-nidorina!? Darby!?” Abby called to her friend and pokemon, but was met with silence. Panic setting in, she carefully moved broken boards off her body. She sat up, getting a better look of her surroundings. Abby heard the sound of debris being knocked away. Nidorina emerged from the rubble. She cried happily at the sight of her trainer and hobbled over to her.

“Nidorina. I’m so glad you’re okay…” She looked over her pokemon, noting a couple of scratches but nothing too major. Abby noticed her trying not to stand on her front left paw. “I’m sorry girl, if I was smarter about our battle, this might not have happened.” Nidorina let out an angry cry, as if to say “don’t blame yourself! It wasn’t your fault!” She smiled at her support. “Thanks Nidorina” The sage had returned with several police officers and pokemon rangers. “Hey there! Are you okay? Is there anyone else down there besides you and your pokemon?” The ranger released a pair of Ariados from his pokeballs. The pokemon crawled up to what was left of the tower’s rafters. Using their string shot, the pokemon began lifting debris from the basement. “Yes! My friend, Darby, he’s gotta be around here somewhere!”

She returned Nidorina to her ball, and grabbed onto the string lowered to her by Ariados. Slightly grossed out, she put on the special gloves thrown down to her by the ranger. Abby was pulled up by Ariados, and escorted out by the ranger. “You’re really lucky you came out with some minor scrapes and bruises, that could have been…” As the ranger got a better look at the young girl, she recognized her. “Abby!? Is that you!?” The ranger helped Abby over to the ambulance parked outside the tower. “F-frankie!? What are you doing here!?” The young ranger had her lie down on a stretcher inside the ambulance. “I should be asking you that! What the hell happened in there!?” She grimaced as Frankie began to clean her wounds. “It’s a long story…”

She started with the events of the night, and worked her way backwards. “That’s some story, Abby. You know, I was really worried when you ran away. So were your sisters.” Abby felt a pang of guilt shoot through her mind. “I know, I made a mistake. But please don’t tell them I’m back yet, okay? I want to return to them myself and apologize.” She gave Abby a look. “That’ll be hard seeing how this’ll be front page news tomorrow, but when the reporters get here I’ll keep you anonymous.” She smiled as Frankie bandaged the last of her cuts. “Thanks, Frankie. It means the world to me. I can’t believe you started your ranger training after all.”

Frankie quickly switched to a more excited and animated tone. “I know right!? It’s so cool, I’ve been learning a lot. Tonight was my first time on an actual rescue, it must have been fate that brought us together.” Abby closed her eyes. She didn’t want to tell her right now, but seeing Frankie get to chase her dream of being a ranger was the breaking point. Watching her friend get accepted into the ranger trainee program while she continued to learn dance routines burned her up inside. She loved her friend, but her envy drove her away.

Meanwhile, the other rangers continued to dig up debris. They soon found an unconscious Darby, and freed him from the rubble. Abby stood by with concern as the emergency medical team applied first aid. The boy lifted his head to see Abby peeking through the open ambulance door. “Don’t worry Abby, I’m alive. My arm is killing me, though.” One of the EMTs instructed him to lie flat as they continued to look him over. “Your arm’s probably broken, let’s get you to the hospital. You should come and get yourself looked over too, miss.” Abby nodded and climbed into the ambulance.

Hours later, the two were released from the hospital. Darby had his arm in a cast, but was cracking jokes about how it’s not his “ball throwing” hand. Abby introduced Frankie to her new friend. “So you’re the heroic Darby! Thanks for taking care of Abby, you got her out of a sticky situation.” The three of them chatted as they walked to the pokemon center. “Abby’s my best friend. I was always the outdoorsy type, it was only natural for me to become a ranger. She was the only other girl who didn’t mind getting dirty with me.” The two girls laughed at memories of barging into the dance theater caked in mud. “Your sister’s were so mad! I remember Lynn’s Vaporeon hosing us down out back.” Darby smiled, but couldn’t help but feel like a third wheel. Soon, they approached the pokemon center. 

“Well Abby, I guess this is where we part ways for now. I got more ranger training today so I can’t stick around. Make sure you apologize to your sisters for putting them through so much grief.” Abby groaned at her childhood friend. “Yeah yeah, I know.” They hugged goodbye and the two went into the pokemon center. “Hey, you think your arm is gonna get in the way of battling?” He looked down at the cast on his wrist. “Nah, it’ll heal up fine. It’ll take more than that to stop me from becoming the champ.’ Abby giggled as she took a marker out of a cup placed on the center’s front desk. “Lemme sign your cast then, champ.” Darby held out his arm. She carefully signed her name, and drew a heart next to it for good measure. The young trainer felt his face grow warm as Abby went to return the marker.

As the day winded down, the two prepared for bed. “Hey, Darby?” “Yeah?” Abby paused for a moment to collect herself. “I’m gonna see my sister’s tomorrow. I want you to come with me. I need someone in my corner, and I want them to meet you.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> As always, thanks for reading!


	17. Family Reuinion

Darby noticed Abby seemed a little apprehensive as she got ready this morning, but that was to be expected given what was on the agenda for today. The Dance Theater was only a short walk from the pokemon center, and they soon found themselves at the entrance. “Okay Abby, deep breaths, you can do this.” Abby opened the theater doors. Inside, five Kimono Girls were on stage practicing their routine in front of a few regular spectators. It didn’t take long for one of the girls to notice Abby’s presence. “Oh my god, Abby!? Is that you!?” A girl wearing a yellow Kimono nearly tripped as she ran over to Abby. The rest of the sisters followed suit.

She found herself surrounded by her sisters. They embraced her, tears welling in their eyes. “What happened?” “Where did you go!?” “Why did you leave us?” “Couldn’t you leave us a note at least?” Abby was overwhelmed by the barrage of questions being thrown at her. “O-one thing at a time! It’s a really long story…”

“Alright everyone, this is my new friend, Darby. Darby, meet Tessa, Selina, Chloe, Torri, and Lynn” Each one of Abby’s sisters warmly greeted the boy. He noted that each of his sisters wore a different colored Kimono, deducing that the color probably corresponded with the Eevee evolution they used. “Wow, first you run away, then you come back and bring a boy home? When did my sister grow up behind my back?” Lynn couldn’t help but tease her sister. “Ugh! I’m home not even 5 minutes and it’s back to this already!?” Tessa gaver Lynn a disappointed look. “Come on Lynn, that kind of stuff is exactly what drove Abby away from us in the first place.” She gestured to a door left of the theater stage. “Let’s go upstairs and talk privately. We live in an apartment above the theater. It’s a little cramped with the 6 of us, even though we have the whole floor to ourselves.” Tessa ushered everyone upstairs, while Selina told their patrons practice was ending early for the day. Darby and Abby sat at the dining room table, while Torri prepared a pot of tea. “Okay, sis. Start from the beginning. Tell us everything.” Chloe waited with baited breath, she couldn’t wait to hear what had happened to her sister over the past few weeks.

Her sisters were stunned by Abby’s tale. Chloe and Torri interrupted a few times to ask questions, but as the eldest, Tessa shut them down to let Abby weave her tale. “And that’s how we ended up here.” The girls looked over their sister, noting the bandage wraps on her legs and arms. Lynn was the first to speak up. “I’m so sorry you went through that Abby, I’m just glad you’re safe..” Chloe couldn’t help but cut in. “That Alex guy sounds like a real creep, if he ever shows his face in Ecruteak again he’ll figure out why us Kimono Girls aren’t just famous for dancing.” Her fiery temper matched her red kimono, Darby figured Abby’s demeanor must run in the family. Tessa took control of the conversation. “But I want to know, why did you run away in the first place?”

The girl sighed, this wouldn’t be easy to explain. “I guess I was sick of being the youngest. Having to do chores, help out backstage for performances, being trained in all things a Kimono Girl should know, it was just too much and not for me. So one day I got fed up and left without a word. I saw Frankie going off to become a ranger, and I got so frustrated. I didn’t know what I wanted to do, but I knew it wasn’t being a dancer. In hindsight, I appreciate everything you guys have done for me. I didn’t know how loved I was until I left and got caught up in Team Neos. But… Running away let me grow as a person. If I didn’t do it, I wouldn’t have met Darby, I wouldn’t have learned as much as I did, and I wouldn’t have realized how much I appreciate you all. So I’m sorry for all the trouble I caused you. I hope you can forgive me.”

Torri quickly burst into tears at Abby’s heartfelt speech. “Oh Abby! I forgive you! If I knew how much you were struggling, I wouldn’t have pushed so many chores on you, or teased you as much as I did! I’m so sorry Abby.” Each of her sisters made similar apologies. Darby began to feel a bit awkward, witnessing this emotional family reunion. Selina noticed Darby playing with his pokegear, trying to occupy himself during this tender moment.

“Darby, was it?” He looked up at the girl dressed in a yellow Kimono. Thank you for being my sister’s knight in shining armor. Without you, Abby wouldn’t be here right now.” Abby’s sisters began to giggle as her face went red. “S-stop it you guys! It’s not like that at all!” Lynn couldn’t resist, joining in with Selina. “Spending so many nights with a boy in those pokemon center hotel rooms? My, when did my little sister get so bold?” Darby buried his face into his pokegear once again. Abby wasn’t kidding, this was like having 5 copies of his mom all teasing him at once. “I changed my mind, you guys are actually the worst. I’m running away again.” The sisters laughed and began to console Abby. “They’re only joking Abby.” Tessa said as she looked at Darby. “Darby, can I ask you to step out? We want to talk to our sister in private for a moment.”

“O-oh, sure thing.” Internally, a wave of relief washed over Darby. Abby’s sisters implying they were an item was a tad too embarrassing for him to bear. He waited on the staircase outside of the apartment, giving the family their space.

Tessa closed the door behind her. “Now that your friend is outside, we wanted to tell you some things we’ve been discussing since you were gone.” Abby straightened up in her chair. Tessa nodded at Chloe, giving her the floor. “So, while you were missing we all talked about why you might have ran away. We suspected a lot of the things you were talking about, so we want to ask- what do you want to do Abby? What do you see in your future?” Abby thought back to her conversations with Darby. How she resolved to put an end to Team Neos, and how he asked her to join him as he chased after the Jhoto championship. “For starters, I want to stop Team Neos, I don’t want anyone else to go through what I did.” Lynn was visibly confused. “Abby, you almost got killed the other night, why would you try to keep going after them?” She stood up from her seat. “Because they’re not gonna stop coming after me! I’ll work with the police, whatever it takes! I can’t stand by and let them do what they want knowing who they are. I’m stronger now, and I don’t want these guys going after my family either.

Torri smiled at her sister. “Our sister really did grow up behind our backs.” Lynn poured herself another cup of tea. “Just one more question Abby, and I’m being serious- Do you like this boy?” Abby froze up. “N-no… Well, maybe a little.” She didn’t want to admit it, but she couldn’t deny feeling some type of way towards Darby if she was completely honest.. “And you haven’t told him?” Chloe chimed in. “No, I think it would complicate things, I don’t want to make things weird between us.” Selina smiled warmly at her sister. “Oh Abby, take things at your own pace. Your first crush is a tough thing to figure out.” Finally, it was Tessa’s turn to speak. “Call it an older sister’s intuition, but I have a sneaking suspicion the feeling is mutual.”

“Y-you think?” Abby played with her tea cup. “Mhmm, and I think what’s best for you isn’t at this theater, it’s with that boy out there.” Abby perked up. “We hate to see you go Abby, but we know being out there exploring Jhoto is what’s best for you right now.” The youngest sibling started to cry at the validation her sister’s were giving her. Chloe began to tear up as well. “Don’t cry! If you cry, I’ll cry!” The middle sister wiped her tears. Torri stood up to go fetch something from the other room. “We have a parting gift for you, Abby. We think it’s exactly what you need, or rather, she’s exactly what you need.” Torri released an Eevee from its pokeball. Eevee landed on the table and moved to greet Abby. Lynn walked over and hugged Abby from behind. “It’s time for you to spread your wings Abby. We won’t tell you what to evolve your Eevee into… But go for Umbreon, okay?” The sisters soon began squabbling over over which evolution is best, before stopping at the sound of Abby’s voice.

Tears flowed freely from her face. “You guys… Thank you, for everything. You’re the best sisters a girl could ask for.” At that moment, the Kimono Girls broke down and hugged their sister. “We’ll miss you Abby, make sure you write to us, okay?” Lynn squeezed her sister tight. “I will, it’s not like I’ll be gone forever” Selina tightened her hold on Abby as well. “That’s right, you’ll always have a place here in Ecruteak.”

After they had dried their tears, Abby went to go bring Darby back in. “You guys okay? I definitely heard some crying.” Abby flashed him a grin. “You heard right. It got kind of heavy, but in a good way. A weight’s been lifted off my shoulders.” Darby’s face softened at Abby’s happiness. “Glad everything worked out.” “Mhmm. Chloe’s making some of her famous curry. Wanna stay over for dinner and head out in the morning?” The smell of curry entered Darby’s nose. “How could I say no?”


	18. The Morning After

Darby awoke on the couch of Abby’s living room. She shared a room with 3 of her sisters, her apartment not being built to accommodate guests. “Hey, you’re awake.” Tessa called him from the kitchen. “Come have a seat at the table, I want to talk to you for a bit.” He rubbed the sleep out of his eyes and walked over. Tessa had her hair tied into a messy bun, wearing a loose fitting pink tee and plaid pajama pants. “So, I’m kind of like the ‘mom’ in this house. Our parents passed away during a trip, Abby was only a few years old then.” Darby reached to pour himself a cup of juice. “I’m sorry for your loss.” Tessa smiled. “Don’t worry, it happened a long time ago. Abby was born much later than the rest of us, so she was always the baby. Lynn was already a teenager as Abby was entering her first year of school. We might tease her, but we love her very much.”

The young boy took a sip of his juice. “Sounds like it, but why are telling me this?” Tessa’s expression turned serious. “Although she acts tough, Abby is a very soft girl on the inside. I’m sure you’ve figured that out by now.” Darby thought back to the times he saw her at her most vulnerable. “The way she shows her affection might seem strange, but don’t let it get to you. I can tell she cares about you a lot.” Darby’s cheeks flushed. “My point is, if you do anything to hurt Abby, there will be a price to pay, from each of us.”

Tessa had the look of a mother Arcanine protecting her Growlithe pups. “Um, of course!” He nervously took another sip of his juice. “I’d do anything for Abby, so you have my word I’ll keep her safe.” She put away her protective older sister routine and smiled. “Good, I know you’ve done everything in your power to protect Abby thus far, but I just wanted to be clear.”

One by one, the rest of the family woke up and sat down for breakfast. “And then, right in the middle of the performance, little Abby ran out on stage! No clothes on, either.” Abby looked like she was about to die from embarrassment. “SELINA!” The young girl slammed her fist down on the table. “Sorry Abby! I couldn’t help but tell that story! It’s too funny.” Abby put her head down in defeat. “I scooped her up as quickly as I could, put her backstage, and we finished the performance. The audience found it funny, so no harm, no foul. Right, Abby?” She groaned at Selina.

“On that note, I think Darby and I will be leaving, he has some training to do before challenging Morty.” It began to sink in that Abby was leaving them again. They exchanged one final group hug, and wished Abby well on her journey.

As they left the Dance Theater, the pair was approached by Ecruteak’s officer Jenny. “Hey, you two, I have some questions I want answered.” Darby and Abby straightened up at the officer’s stern voice. “Your ranger friend asked me not to press you the night of on account of what you went through, and I respected that. Now that you both seem relatively fine, I thought I’d get the whole picture.” They told the story of what happened that night in the tower, and took turns explaining who Team Neos was. “I see, what do you know about this Elliana character?”

“Well, all I know is that she’s the leader of Team Neos, and they operate out of Goldenrod. Now that I think about it, her explanation of her goals was kind of vague. I don’t know what she wants. Power? Money? Influence? Whatever she’s after, I know I want to put a stop to it. She’s taking advantage of people and abusing pokemon to get what she’s after. It’s not right.” Officer Jenny brimmed with a sense of pride at the young girl. “I’m glad that even though you’ve been through a lot, your sense of justice still burns! I’ll make a call to the officer Jenny in Goldenrod to alert her of this fledgling criminal team. But one piece of advice, leave this to us officers, okay?” Darby could feel Abby’s annoyance with Jenny. It wasn’t her intention, but he knew that talking down to her is the quickest way to get on her bad side. “What do you mean leave it to us officers?! Even if I didn’t want to stop Team Neos because they’re evil, my friend and I are still being stalked by their members!”

“Listen, I know you mean well but you came close to being seriously hurt by them before. I’ll put out a special alert to the rest of the Jennys so they know you’re possibly being tailed by Neos grunts. I’m not saying you can’t handle yourself, I’m just saying that this is dangerous. You’ve already done enough by telling me everything you know about Team Neos, we’ll bring them down. Just have faith in us, okay?” Abby calmed herself, it was no use getting heated at Officer Jenny. It was frustrating that she wouldn’t be able to work with them outside of providing information, but she wouldn’t let this deter her. “Okay, I’ll leave it to the pros!” The girl flashed a smile and saluted Jenny.

“Thank you so much for understanding, have a good rest of the day!” Jenny made her way over to her parked motorcycle and took off. “You’re not going to leave it to the pros, are you?” Abby stuck her tongue out at Jenny as she rode away. “Nope! How can I? When I set my mind to something, I don’t let go.” Darby couldn’t help but chuckle. “At least we got that in common. Let's get moving, I want to get some training in today.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> With this chapter, my uploads are going to slow down a bit. I have to wrap up a semester of school and I'm having a bit of writer's block on the next chapter. Anyway, thanks for reading!


	19. A Minor Detour

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Just a note, instead of having Darby and Abby head straight to the gym, I had them go on this little side adventure instead, in case you're wondering why they're here and not there.

While out in the tall grass, Darby received a call from his mother. “Hi son! I just wanted to tell you, I went to this lovely fair that came to New Bark Town. A vendor was selling some rare items, and I knew I just had to get you something! I had to spend some of your savings though, sorry!” Darby sighed into the phone. “What did you get this time, mom?” “Oh it’s a surprise, after you told me about how you and Abby caught matching Nidoran, I had to buy them. You two are precious by the way.” Darby groaned. “Ugh, I’ll go see what you got me. Bye, mom and thanks.” Darby hung up, returning Nidorino to his ball. Abby looked up from playing with Elekid. “What’s up?” “My mom said she has a surprise waiting for us, so let’s head back and see what she means.” At the pokemon center, Darby used the PC terminal to access the item storage system. A device next to the PC materialized a small package for Darby. He opened the box, he couldn’t believe what he saw. “Moon stones! I can’t believe it, you’re the best, mom!” He’d have to call back later to thank her. “What’s special about moon stones?” Darby handed her one of the stones. “They’re special evolution stones, very hard to come by too. I can use this to evolve Nidorino into a Nidoking, same for you when your Nidoran becomes a Nidorina.” She looked down at the stone Darby placed in her hand.

“Do you mind heading back to Goldenrod today? There are some T.M.’s I want to pick up now that I can evolve Nidorino.” Abby shrugged her shoulders. “Sure, we can do some training on the way.”

On the way back to Goldenrod, Abby trained her Nidoran. To her surprise, Nidoran’s training paid off and she finally evolved into a Nidorina. “Nidorina!” The poison pin pokemon jumped up at her trainer. “I’m so proud of you!” Abby scratched under Nidorina’s chin. The blue pokemon let out a cry towards Darby. “I think she’s asking you to let Nidorino out.” Darby released Nidorino from its pokeball. It bowled over its evolutionary counterpart, and began nuzzling him. “Nidorino!?” The purple pokemon was shocked by Nidoran’s new form. Nidorina looked pleased with itself, having finally caught up to its friend. Meanwhile, Nidorino looked bashful on the receiving end of its affection. “Awww, they really are adorable!” Abby couldn’t help but smile. The two trainers continued towards Goldenrod, letting the two pokemon stay out of the pokeballs and walk together.

Darby left the department store with a bag of T.M.’s. “I really broke the bank here, but it was worth it.” “Why did you buy so many in the first place?” Darby took 3 T.M.’s out of his shopping bag. “These are for you. They’re a set of punching moves- thunder, fire, and ice. She can’t learn them now, but when she evolves into Nidoqueen, teach them to Nidorina.” Abby was thankful but furious. “Guh, you don’t have to buy me things! I already owe you for the clothes and food, now I gotta pay you back for the T.M.’s too.” She placed the technical machines in her bag. “But thanks, I’ll definitely use these.”

Back on Route 36, Darby evolved Nidorino into its final form. Abby and Nidorina watched in awe, as Nidoking let out a roar. Nidorina leapt into Nidoking’s arms. Even though his appearance drastically changed, he was still the same bashful Nidoran he was when Darby first caught him. “Get a room you two.” Abby found their relationship cute, but there was a limit to how much she could take. “I dunno Ab… I kinda wish I had something like they have.” Abby blushed at Darby’s words. “Ugh, don’t be weird.” Darby shifted his attention to Nidoking in an attempt to hide his embarrassment. “Sorry, let’s get back to training, Nidoking. Let’s see you throw a fire punch!” Nidoking’s fists were engulfed in flames as he shadowboxed in place.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Long time no post! Since the semester ended and I overcame my writer's block, I'll be back to posting regularly. Thanks for reading!


	20. Eaten Dreams of the Future! Ecruteak Showdown!

Ecruteak Gym was definitely the most intimidating one Darby had been to so far. Faint blue lights dimly lit the dark gym. Even the pokeball shaped battleground that was standard to all gyms looked sinister. What appeared to be runes in some ancient language were inscribed on the ground. Every now and again, the runes would glow faintly before dying down. “I can’t tell if that’s the arena or some kind of summoning circle.” Abby remarked. Darby walked further into the seemingly empty gym, before an older looking lady jumped out at them. “Greetings young travelers! Are you here to seek master Morty?” Abby yelped at her sudden appearance. “Ah! Don’t jump out like that, this gym is spooky enough. The old lady rattled her beaded necklace. “My apologies, young one, I’ll lead you to Morty.” The old lady led the way, she looked like she belonged at a shrine rather than a pokemon gym. A casual looking young man in a purple headband and matching scarf turned to greet them.

“Welcome to my gym. My name is Morty. Before we begin, what is your name?” Darby introduced himself. “My name is Darby, and this is my friend, Abby. I’m here to challenge you!” Morty gave a warm smile, a stark contrast to the frigid atmosphere. “I see you have a fiery spirit within you, Darby. Let me ask you a question- do you believe in legends?” The boy didn’t hesitate with his answer. “You mean like, legendary pokemon? I’m sure they’re out there.”

“I do as well. There is a legend that a rainbow colored pokemon will appear before a truly powerful trainer. I believe in this tale, and I train at this gym in the hope that this pokemon will appear before me. Allow us to test our desire. Your desire to conquer the gym challenge, and mine to meet this legendary pokemon.”

Abby took her seat in the stands, as Darby and Morty squared up in the arena. “This will be a 4 on 4 pokemon battle between challenger Darby and Leader Morty. Choose your leading pokemon and begin!” Morty sent out his Ghastly. The fanged ghost pokemon stuck its long tongue out at the challenger. “In that case, I choose you, Nidoking!” The newly evolved pokemon hit the arena floor. Nidoking was confident in its new form, puffing out its chest in an attempt to look tough.

“Gastly, go in for a Lick!” The ghost pokemon bounded towards Nidoking with its tongue out. “Get ready to cross counter with a fire punch!” Nidoking’s fists became engulfed in flames. The spiked pokemon Dempsey rolled under Gastly’s tongue, landing a fierce uppercut in the process. “Ghastly!” It cried out in shock as it was launched skyward towards the ceiling. “I see, we’re gonna have to change our tactics Ghastly, use Curse.” Ghastly began to chant. “No, Nidoking, close the gap and follow up with an Ice Punch before it’s too late!” Nidoking duffed Ghastly once more, knocking it out. Unfortunately, it was too late. The Poison/Ground pokemon felt a sharp pain in its chest, as if someone had just driven a stake into it.

Morty chuckled softly to himself. “It’s only a matter of time now, let’s run the clock. Go, my ghost pokemon!” Another Ghastly emerged from its ball, as scrappy and devious as the first. “Ghastly, don’t engage Nidoking directly, play the keep away game.” Ghastly obeyed its trainer, deftly maneuvering through a barrage of Nidoking’s elemental punches. As the battle went on, the pain in its chest became unbearable. Unable to throw a straight punch, Nidoking finally collapsed on the floor.

“Nidoking is unable to battle, the round goes to leader Morty!” Nidoking was withdrawn to its ball. Annoyed at Morty’s switch to a lamer style of battling, Darby called forth Croconaw. “We’re going to have to end this as quickly as possible, get in there with a bite attack!” In one quick motion, Croconaw brought its jaws down on Ghastly, giving it no time to react. “Ghastly is unable to battle!” Morty withdrew his pokemon, this time opting to send out his Haunter. He attempted to Curse Croconaw as well, but its super effective Bite made quick work of Ghastly’s evolved form.

“My bag of tricks hasn’t emptied yet Darby, let’s see how you handle my final pokemon.” A sinister looking Gengar with a devilish grin had taken the stage. “Gengar, use Hypnosis!” Before Croconaw could react, it was caught by Gengar’s sleep ray. Suddenly, Croconaw’s body became very heavy, and he had trouble keeping his eyes open. “Fight it buddy! You gotta stay awake!” Darby’s words fell on deaf ears, as Croconaw collapsed in a heap on the gym floor.

Croconaw awoke in a sunny Stadium. Confetti rained down upon him as he looked out to a packed crowd. He was taller, Croconaw looked over his body and realized he achieved his final form, Feraligatr. “We did it, partner! We did it!” Croconaw turned to see his trainer running towards him. Before he could celebrate their apparent victory, Darby disappeared in a puff of inky black smoke.

“I don’t like to resort to this, but you forced my hand, kid. It’s not often a pokemon breaks free from Gengar’s Dream Eater.” Darby looked on in horror as Croconaw tossed and turned in its sleep. Meanwhile in Croconaw’s dream, the stadium had faded away in the same black smoke. He stood alone in an endless black void. The water pokemon’s eyes scanned its surroundings. Suddenly, Gengar’s smiling maw opened before Croconaw, he reflexively closed his eyes expecting to be eaten, but opened them only to see the same black void. Only this time, his perspective had changed… Croconaw immediately noticed his change in stature. Realizing he was a Totadile once more, a sense of dread and loneliness overcame the pokemon.

“Uddy… Ke up! Ha… T… Wa… P!” A faint voice rang in Croconaw’s ears. “Ou.. Ve… O… Cus on th…. Ound of my… Ce.” The voice became louder as Croconaw steadied itself. He exhaled, clearing his mind only to focus on Darby’s voice. “We’ve come too far Croconaw! You’re my partner, I know you can do this!” Croconaw opened its eyes, finding himself back in his own body standing in the middle of the gym. “Credit where credit is due, that’s usually where it ends for most trainers, but I’m through playing around.” Gengar charged at Croconaw. Fully awake, Croconaw reacted with its teeth, stretching its jaw to intercept Gengar mid flight. Gengar was tackled to the ground by Croconaw. After a futile struggle to break free, Gengar fainted, unable to battle.

Darby ran towards Croconaw. Instead of the usual embrace, he was met with a snap of his jaws. “Buddy, it’s okay! It’s me!” After making sure it wasn’t another dream, Croconaw wrapped its arms around his trainer. “Congrats kid, you and your pokemon earned this.” Darby graciously accepted the Fog Badge from Morty. He signaled to Abby who was watching from the sidelines. With another badge in his possession, their time in Ecruteak was coming to a close.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Had some serious writer's block with this chapter, but overall happy with it. Thanks for reading!


	21. Trouble In Olivine

Abby and Darby departed from the Pokemon Center after enjoying another post match victory. “So, where to now?” Darby looked up from his badge case, which now contained a new addition. “Next gym on my list is Olivine’s, think we can make it there at a decent hour if we leave now.” The case snapped shut, Darby slid it into the inside breast pocket of his jacket.

They were about to head through the gate, but a distressed looking old gentleman called out to them. “Miss Abby! Wait! I have something from your sisters!” The old man nearly doubled over, he probably hadn’t been that winded in years. “Um, who are you?” Darby cocked his head to the side. “This is Mr. Karrington, he’s been a long time patron of the theater.” Karrington collected himself and reached into his pocket, pulling out a jewel case containing a disc. “Darby, was it? The Kimono Girls are in the middle of a performance right now, but they asked me to deliver this HM to you. It contains Surf, they said to think of it as a thank you present.” The young trainer looked over the HM before placing it into his bag.

“Tell them I said thanks, and maybe take a minute to sit down, okay?” Mr. Karrington wished them well on their journey and found a nearby bench to rest on. Now outside of the city, Abby released her Eevee from its pokeball. “Vee!” Eevee let out a cute cry as it took in its surroundings. “I figure the trip over would be a good time to get some training in, you down?” Darby smirked at his companion. “Now you’re catching on, let’s do it.”

As they made their way to Olivine, Darby and Abby battled wild pokemon and trainers alike. “Okay Raticate good job, let’s let Eevee get some hits in!” Raticate returned to its ball, and Eevee took its place. Abby commanded Eevee to lay in a quick attack as the finishing blow. The weakened Mareep gave in and finally went down, after carefully making sure Eevee could steal the show at the last moment. “Darn, looks like you got us…” The picknicker girl fished some money out of her bag and gave it to Abby. Before she could enjoy her earnings, Abby took notice of the smug grin on Darby’s face. She rolled her eyes and handed him a fraction of her winnings. “Keep this up and you’ll pay me back in no time!”

“Yeah yeah....” The two continued onward to Olivine, and eventually reached the town’s pokemon center. “Let’s get a room and call it yeah? It’s almost midnight.” Abby nodded in agreement as they walked through the pokemon center doors and were greeted to a strangely empty pokemon center. A Nurse Joy manned the counter, slightly slumped over. “Maybe you should get some rest, Jenny.” A young police officer nearly identical to the one in Ecruteak sipped coffee as she reread reports for the upteenth time. “I feel like I’m really close to figuring this out Joy, I’ll sleep then.” Nurse Joy took notice of the two trainers entering her center. “Hello, and welcome to th-” “Joy! Do you mind refilling my coffee?” The nurse’s cheery demeanor gave way to annoyance. “You know what? I’m doing my job here too! I’m not your personal maid just because the center’s empty!”

Jenny got up from her seat. “Well the center is gonna stay empty if I don’t figure this out! I’ll finish my work somewhere else.” Jenny collected her files and left in a huff. “Jeez, what’s eating at her?” Darby’s curious nature got the better of him, he couldn’t help but pry. “Oh, Jenny’s just stressed lately. Tourism has been way down in Olivine lately and it’s starting to affect businesses.” Abby placed a hand on her chin. “Okay, but what does tourism have to do with the police?” Joy exhaled, she might as well start from the beginning.

“You see, there’s been a problem with a cruise ship that came from the neighboring Kanto region. When the tourists came in, they find out the pokemon they were travelling somehow went missing. It reeks of foul play, but the sailors and dock workers swear innocence. It’s too convenient though, where could the pokemon be going? All of their luggage is intact, but the pokemon? Gone. Jenny’s spoken to everyone at the docks, even got warrants to search warehouses and nothing. The stories picked up in the media, and now people are cancelling trips here en masse. This is supposed to be one of our busiest seasons…”

Abby looked puzzled. “Wait hold on, aren’t pokemon stored in balls that their trainers hold onto? How are they getting stolen?” Darby let out a laugh. “You’ve never left Jhoto, have you?” Abby gave him a quick slug in the arm. “Ow! Pokemon get stored in the cargo hold for the duration of the trip. Can’t have a slugma out setting fire to everything on the ship.” She turned her eyes to the floor realizing her mistake. “Oh, yeah, I knew that. So what’s happening with the pokemon?”

“Well, after unloading all the luggage and pokemon, the pokemon would go ‘missing.’ It was a huge scandal, and the police still can’t find the missing pokemon. Since then, a lot of people have been boycotting us by cancelling vacations.” The emptiness of the pokemon center made this apparent. Even at this time of the night, the lobby is usually bustling with trainers chatting and enjoying themselves at the cafe. The empty center felt very foreign.

“What if we helped?” Joy perked up at Darby’s offer. “Maybe there's something we can do to help, something that even Officer Jenny can’t do.” She gave a tired smile. “I appreciate the thought, but perhaps you should just leave it to Jenny and her department.” Abby felt the same frustration she felt back in Ecruteak when another Jenny told her the same thing. “I don’t think we will. I’ve got a couple of hunches already, can we get a room please? Preferably one with two beds.” At first she was slightly offended by Abby’s remark, but knew she meant well. “Of course, let me get you a key.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for reading!


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